Human Heart Replaces Pumps in Patient : Californian ‘Doing Fine’; Other Transplants Appear Successful
Surgeons Tuesday transplanted the heart of an unidentified accident victim into auto mechanic Richard Dallara, who had been kept alive for four days with two muffin-sized artificial pumps attached to his own failing heart.
Dallara, 33, of Sonoma, underwent the five-hour operation at Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center and was reported in critical but stable condition.
‘We’re Satisfied’
Dr. J. Donald Hill, the chief surgeon, said Dallara was “doing fine now and we’re satisfied.”
Another physician, Dr. Barry Levin, said that if Dallara makes good progress, he could be released from the hospital in two or three weeks.
“We do expect to have a rejection episode,” Levin said. “Almost all transplant patients do. He faces a long road. He’ll be on (anti-rejection) medications the rest of his life.”
Dallara was the first patient in California to have mechanical assistance for both sides of his heart, and the fourth patient in the United States to receive two Thoratec pumps at the same time.
Patient Was Near Death
Doctors said they undertook the operation because Dallara, a former marathon runner, was comatose and near death because of degeneration of his heart muscle from cardiomyapathy, a rapidly progressive disease.
Meanwhile, in Hershey, Pa., Anthony Mandia, 44, who lived for 11 days on the Penn State artificial heart, showed no signs Tuesday of rejecting his new human donor heart that he received Monday and was progressing like any heart transplant patient, his doctors said.
Mandia’s condition was upgraded Tuesday morning from unstable to stable, and he remained on a respirator to allow him to keep his lungs clear and get much-needed sleep.
“At this point, we feel we’re sort of on known ground again,” said Dr. John W. Burnside, medical spokesman for the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, at a news briefing.
Gaidosh Still Critical
In Pittsburgh, Thomas J. Gaidosh, 47, who spent four days on a Jarvik-7 pump before receiving a transplant, remained in critical condition Tuesday.
Dr. Bartley Griffith, who removed the Jarvik-7 heart from Gaidosh and replaced it with a human donor heart Monday morning, said his patient may face a slightly longer, more difficult recuperation period than other heart transplant patients because of the implant surgery.
Both Mandia and Gaidosh also were near death from chronic heart disease when the artificial hearts were implanted to keep them alive until donor hearts could be found.
