New Artificial Heart Gets Another Beat

Kentucky surgeons who implanted the first self-contained artificial heart in a human in July said Thursday they had performed a second such surgery.

A hospital spokesman said late Thursday that the recipient was 70-year-old Tom Christerson of Central City, Ky., a retired tire store owner whose son, Kenny, owns the NASCAR Busch Grand National Racing Team.

Dr. Laman Gray and Dr. Robert Dowling of Jewish Hospital in Louisville said late Thursday that Christerson was recovering in the intensive care unit and was resting comfortably. To be eligible for the experimental surgery, patients must have an expected survival time of less than 30 days.

The two-pound titanium-and-plastic heart manufactured by Abiomed Inc. of Danvers, Mass., was implanted in Christerson’s chest after his real heart was removed. A rechargeable battery and electronics were implanted elsewhere in his chest. The internal battery is recharged through the skin by a battery pack worn on a belt.

On July 2, the Jewish Hospital team implanted the first heart in Robert Tools, 59, who was near death from heart disease. Surgeons say the device has been working flawlessly and Tools was recently released from the intensive care unit.

The surgical team had initially said they would be happy if Tools survived for a month. Now they are talking about his going home and resuming normal activities.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the experimental device in five patients who are dying of heart failure and are too sick for a heart transplant. If the first tests go well, as they have so far, as many as 15 of the artificial hearts could be implanted by next summer.

Surgeons at UCLA are gearing up to experiment with the AbioCor heart and are expected to perform their first human implant within the next month.

Hospitals in Philadelphia, Boston and Houston are also preparing to perform the implants.

The Elizabethtown News-Enterprise said the surgery was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but that some participants couldn’t make it in time because of the terrorist attacks on Tuesday and the suspension of airline flights.