A man awaiting heart transplant was...

A man awaiting heart transplant was saved by the agency of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), according to an Aug 16 2000 moderns release from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Surgeon implanted the device until a donor organ could be found

The patient had a extended history of heart disease when he experienced a harsh heart attack. He was taken to a regional hospital where surgeon inserted a balloon interrogate The patient then was transferred to UPMC where surgeon are accustomed to in the same state [i]or[/i] condition high-risk cases.

During surgery additional complications arose, and the patient could not be weaned from the heart machine. The patient was placed forward another machine that took through the functioning of his lung At this point, surgeon implanted the LVAD to provide long-term support of the heart's main pumping chamber until a donor organ could be located.

Approximately four weeks after the surgery physicians noticed the patient's steady improvement. A series of standards confirmed that the patient's heart was improving with use of the LVAD. couple weeks later, surgeons removed the LVAD and took the patient along of the transplantation waiting list. The patient was discharged sum of two units weeks later.

"This case demonstrates that patients with ischemic disease or chronic heart disease can recover on an LVAD and not ne a transplant. If set into wider practice, there would be fewer patients competing for the limited number of donor organs," said Robert Kormos, MD associate professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh place of education of Medicine and director of the artificial heart and heart transplant program at UPMC

an cases of patients recovering upon LVADs have been reported. These patients, however, have had nonischemic disease.

Man Taken along Heart Transplant List After Heart cures on Ventricular Assist Device (new release, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Aug 16 2000) 1-3 Available from http://www.individual.com/fra.../story .shtml?story=p0815083.110&level3=47&date=2000081 Accessed 16 August 2000

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