(Circulation. 2001;104:e9005.)
© 2001 American Heart Association, Inc.
Cardiovascular News
Circulation Newswriter
Totally Contained AbioCor Artificial Heart Implanted July 3, 2001
Surgeons from the University of Louisville have, for the first time anywhere, placed a totally implantable artificial heart in the chest of a patient in his late 50s. This event occurred on July 2, 2001, at Jewish Hospital in Kentucky and was a feat that hailed a new dawn in the development of total artificial hearts. The implantation was performed by Laman Gray, Jr, MD, and Robert D. Dowling, MD, on a patient who was said to be within a month of dying and who had been turned down for a heart transplant.
The patient underwent considerable scrutiny before the surgery was considered, said Dr Gray in a press conference held on July 4, 2001. "When he came to see us, he was extremely sick, a class IV patient . . . the sickest of the sick." The patient suffered from diabetes and impaired kidney function. Using a sophisticated algorithm, doctors predicted that the patient had no longer than 30 days to live. Next, physicians took a CT scan of the patient’s chest and heart and used a computer to determine if the pump, which is much smaller than those that had preceded it, would fit in the man’s chest.
At that point, physicians began to discuss the possibility with the patient. "We try to do this very honestly," said Dr Dowling. "We give them all the options and go over everything. We are very concerned about the ethics of doing this. For that reason, every patient entered into the