World’s Youngest Artificial Heart Recipient Reported Exhausted but in Stable Condition

The world’s youngest artificial heart patient did better than expected Friday but remained physically exhausted from his battle to stay alive before a Jarvik-7 blood pump was implanted in his chest a day before.

Michael Drummond, 25, of Phoenix showed no signs of bleeding one day after becoming the ninth person in the world to receive a man-made heart and the sixth to get the Jarvik-7 model. But doctors warned that he had a low-grade fever that could endanger his suitability for a human heart transplant.

Nina Trasoff, spokeswoman for the University of Arizona Medical Center, where the polyurethane device was implanted in a four-hour operation Thursday, said Drummond was tired from his earlier battle against death but was clinically stable.

Fever Not Uncommon

Dr. Jack G. Copeland, head of the hospital’s transplant team, said it is not uncommon for patients to run a fever after open-heart procedures. If the fever persists, however, it would be “worrisome,” he added.

Drummond’s fever dropped to 100 degrees from a high of 102.5. The cause of the fever will not be known until test results are completed Sunday or Monday.

Doctors said it may be seven days to three weeks before Drummond is ready to receive a human heart if an acceptable one becomes available.

Trasoff said Drummond’s blood pressure and other vital signs were within acceptable ranges.