Wasilla man using mobile artificial heart receives transplant

Alaska Dispatch


Photo: Nurse Tami Sather grabs the donor heart from an iced solution, taking it to the surgery field behind her led by UW Medical Center cardiac surgeon, Dr. Nahush Mokadam who is replacing Christopher Marshall's artificial heart that is sitting in the tray at the left. Credit: Steve Ringman| Seattle Times

On Wednesday, Christopher Marshall of Wasilla, Alaska received a new heart. The 51-year-old father underwent his second surgery since February of 2012, when his severely diseased heart was removed and replaced with an artificial one. According to the Seattle Times, Wednesday's seven-hour surgery at the University of Washington Medical Center was a success.

Generally, patients waiting for heart transplants must remain in the hospital until an organ becomes available. This is largely because the average artificial heart is powered by a driver weighing upwards of 400 pounds. Such a hefty piece of machinery makes it difficult for a patient to be mobile.

However, after his initial surgery, Marshall was fortunate enough to receive a relatively manageable polyurethane heart for the interim. The temporary replacement heart, connected to a portable backpack-like pneumatic machine, was only one of 50 being tested in the U.S. by its manufacturer, SynCardia. The backpack allowed Marshall to be off hospital property, without a flesh-and-blood heart, enjoying the occasional hike or walk while he waited for a donor.

The Associated Press reports that Marshall's cardiovascular deterioration was a result of two separate ailments working in conjunction. The first, idiopathic cardiomyopathy, steadily destroyed the muscular make up of the organ. The second, ventricular tachycardia, caused the heartbeat to be irregular and fast. As a result, he required a transplant to survive.

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{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}

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