Artificial Heart Patient Gets the Real McCoy
From Times Wire Reports
A man who lived with an artificial heart longer than any other U.S. patient returned home to New Haven after successful surgery to implant a real heart.
The Novacor artificial heart, implanted Aug. 11, 1998, was intended to be a temporary fix. But no suitable heart donor could be found, and Robert Kenyon in August surpassed the longest time anyone in this country survived with an artificial heart: three years.
Two weeks ago, surgeons implanted another artificial heart because the old one had begun to wear out; 36 hours later, a suitable donor became available.
An Italian lived with an artificial heart for four years.
