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Near-Death Patient Gets Artificial Heart LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - An American on the brink of death has received the first self-contained, mechanical heart replacement in a landmark experimental operation.

Surgeons from the University of Louisville implanted the titanium and plastic pump into the patient at Jewish Hospital. They expect the first implants will extend the patient's life only a month or so.

"The patient is resting comfortably," the hospital said in a statement Tuesday.

Drs. Laman Gray and Robert Dowling, who trained by implanting the grapefruit-sized device in calves, performed Monday's surgery. The hospital gave no information on the patient, not even saying whether it was a man or a woman.

Experts hope the experimental heart, made by Abiomed Inc. of Danvers, Mass., will lead to new hope for patients with failing hearts.

"I think it's potentially a major step forward in the artificial heart development," said Dr. David Faxon, president of the American Heart Association.

He stressed that the dream of an implantable, permanent artificial heart is not yet a reality, adding, "This is obviously an experimental device whose long-term success has to be demonstrated."

Heart surgery teams at five hospitals had been trained and poised to remove a diseased natural heart and install in its place an electric-powered pump designed to fit inside the chest with no wires or tubes sticking through the skin.

The device, known as AbioCor, is designed to allow recipients to maintain a productive lifestyle while wearing it. It is considered a technological leap from earlier mechanical hearts.

Power is sent from a battery pack worn outside the body through the skin to an implanted coil, control package and backup battery. The internal battery can work on its own for about 30 minutes between charges -- long enough for a patient to take a shower, for example.

David M. Lederman, Abiomed's president and chief executive officer, said earlier this year the company had received Food and Drug Administration approval to perform at least five human trials with the artificial heart. If the experiments are successful, more patients could be added to the trial later, he said.

Associated Press (c) iSyndicate

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