Orange : Heart Recipient With Irregular Beat Is Saved
A 61-year-old Norco man was kept alive for eight days with an artificial pump at UCI Medical Center in Orange after his transplanted heart failed to beat properly, a hospital spokeswoman said Monday.
Michael Brande of Norco underwent heart transplant surgery at the hospital Aug. 20 but immediately suffered a life-threatening heartbeat irregularity, spokeswoman Elaine Beno said.
He was placed on an external pump to relieve the new heart. After eight days, he was removed from the machine and is recovering in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
Brande is the one of 27 patients worldwide to have survived such a heartbeat failure through use of mechanical support, Beno said.
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