A 25-year-old American waited 555 days before getting a heart transplant. During this period he lived with a portable artificial heart.
Stan Larkin is not a young man like the others. On May 9, he was operated on at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center to receive a new heart. But what makes him special is that before his operation he lived 555 days with an artificial heart weighing 6 kg … in his backpack, relates maxisciences.
When the heart can stop at any time
Stan Larkin and his brother Dominique were young teenagers when they were diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. This genetic disease causes heart failure which can lead to heart failure. The two brothers were placed on the waiting list for a transplant for several years. They were both very ill when they first met Dr. Jonathan Haft, a surgeon at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center at the University of Michigan. Convinced that their case was specific and that conventional technologies were not going to work, he saw fit to act as quickly as possible.
It was in 2014 that the surgeon decided to take action and remove their hearts. Their organ has been replaced by a machine reproducing the same functions. In their case, a completely artificial heart could be used temporarily because the two parts of their organ were no longer functioning. The system used was manufactured by the company Syncardia, an American company specializing in cardiac implants and artificial hearts.
Have a normal life and play basketball
Dominique kept the device for a few weeks before being able to undergo a transplant. Unfortunately Stan had to wait longer to receive a transplant. Doctors and specialists therefore made sure to make the artificial heart portable, in the form of a 6 kg backpack. Even if this device may seem disabling, Stan Larkin was able to have an “almost” normal life, even going so far as to continue playing basketball. “The artificial heart was not designed for playing basketball,” said Dr Jonathan Haft, but explains that “Stan pushed his limits and it really worked for him”.
Several months ago, surgeons found a compatible heart for Stan. It was on May 9 that the young American went over the operating table to remove his artificial organ and give him one, but this time organic. “I received the transplant two weeks ago and I feel like I can go for a run as we speak,” the young man told a press conference. Since his operation, Stan Larkin has been doing well and has decided, along with Dr Haft, to share their story.
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