- LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - A Kentucky man who
lived 17 months with the world's first self-contained artificial heart,
far longer than any other patient so far, died on Friday because a membrane
inside the heart wore out, his doctor said.
-
- "Initial findings point to the normal wear of an
internal membrane in the device," Dr. Laman Gray, part of the surgical
team at Jewish Hospital in Louisville where five of the nine Abiocor artificial
hearts have been implanted.
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- Tom Christerson, 71, died in his sleep after eating lunch
at Jewish Hospital, a hospital spokesman said. He had returned to the hospital
two weeks ago suffering an unrelated, undisclosed health problem. He and
his wife, Speedy, both suffered bouts with the flu.
-
- "The team noticed a change in the performance of
the device two days ago and have been managing it since early this morning,"
Gray said in a statement. "Tom was alert, oriented and visiting with
family and friends until he fell asleep and died within an hour."
-
- Hospital officials said it was too early to determine
the ramifications for the future of the Abiocor heart, which is made by
Danvers, Massachusetts-based Abiomed Inc..
-
- Christerson's device, which was powered by a rechargeable
internal battery like the others, will be removed and examined.
-
- Two patients were implanted last month after a nine-month
hiatus, as Abiomed made modifications in the grapefruit-sized, titanium-and-plastic
device to make it less prone to forming blood clots that cause strokes.
-
- Christerson was the second person to receive the heart,
and had been able to return home to rural Kentucky and live a relatively
normal life. The first recipient, Robert Tools, died from a massive stroke,
21 weeks after his July 3, 2001, implant surgery, having left the hospital
for only a few hours at a time.
-
- Six other patients implanted with the Abiocor have died.
The family of one is suing, claiming they were misinformed about how much
pain and suffering the heart would cause.
-
- All recipients participating in the federally approved
trial must be gravely ill with less than 30 days to live and not be candidates
for a human heart transplant.
-
- Christerson mastered the recharging of the heart himself,
and Abiomed said its operation was designed to be more patient-friendly.
The company said it has learned what needs to be done to improve the system's
durability.
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