Woman With New Heart Doing Well
The first woman to receive an artificial heart was doing well Saturday, the day after her mechanical pump was replaced with the heart of a Montana teen-ager, doctors said.
Mary Lund “is recovering very well from her surgery,” said Dr. Robert Van Tassel, medical spokesman for the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. “She is not having any medical problems at this time,” he said in a statement.
She was listed in critical but stable condition.
Lund, 40, of Kensington, Minn., received the heart of Jyna Marie Forshee, 14, of Billings. The girl suffered an epileptic seizure Tuesday and was pronounced brain dead Thursday morning, hospital officials said.
In his statement Saturday, Van Tassel said Lund’s new heart “continues to work well and beat in a normal rhythm. She is alert, awake and responding to staff and family members.”
Lund’s breathing was being aided by a respirator. Doctors have said they hope to remove her from the respirator by today.
Van Tassel said the major medical risks Lund faces are rejection of the donor organ and infection.
“At present, Mrs. Lund is not showing signs of either,” he said.
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