The State - News from Oct. 31, 1985

Heart transplant patient Richard Dallara spent the day dozing as family members made brief visits the day after his 5 1/2-hour transplant operation in San Francisco. The 10 days immediately after the operation are crucial for Dallara, who remained in critical but stable condition at Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Nancy Millhouse said. Two mechanical heart pumps had kept Dallara, 33, of Sonoma alive until he could get a new heart Tuesday. “While he was within an hour of death when he came in, his other organs had not failed,” Millhouse said. “He really went into the transplant a really healthy young man except for his heart. If this new biological heart works well, he should be able to return to a fairly active and normal life with some restrictions.” Dallara, an auto mechanic, learned seven months ago that he was suffering from cardiomyopathy, a degenerative disease in which the heart muscle dies.