For nearly two years, 43-year-old Charles Okeke has tried to live a normal life in the hospital tthered to a 400-lb. machine.
"It sort of overwhelms you to think, 'I'm stuck to a machine,'" he says.
Okeke was barely 30 when a blood clot destroyed his heart, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. He had a transplant and for 10 years life was good for this computer consultant and father of three.
But in 2008 his body rejected that heart and at that time another transplant was out of the question.
Okeke now has what is called a "total artificial heart." Both ventricles were removed along with four valves. Connector tubes were sewn in. It pumps blood just like a human heart.
"There is an artificial heart inside of me that the tubes connect to from this exit site right here," he says while pointing to the tubes.
"Here is an artificial heart inside of me," says Okeke. "The tubes connect from this exit site[.]"
When asked about the moment he realized he had a total artificial heart, Okeke says, "For the longest time I could not physically put my hand to my chest because it felt so weird."
But Okeke's life is about to be transformed. The FDA has just approved this backpack-sized device that runs on batteries and weighs just 13 lbs. It's the first portable technology to support the entire artificial heart.
Okeke is the first heart patient in the country to test the "freedom driver."
There are worries. Will this device supply enough power to the heart so the liver and kidneys also function? Will Okeke trust his heart to this machine?
"How comfortable he feels with the device, that's going to be as important as all the other organs working," says the Mayo Clinic's cardiothoracic surgery chair Dr. Francisco Arabia.
After a few more weeks readjusting the "freedom driver," Okeke experiences freedom for the first time in years, leaving the hospital with a hero's goodbye as hundreds of people wished him well.
At home, Okeke hugged his kids. "I am about as happy of a person as you can have right now," says Okeke. "To be able to sleep in my own bed after two years on a hospital bed, you can't imagine."
The Okekes know they're not home free. Charles will have to work hard to maintain his health as he awaits a new heart, but if the right match is not found, doctors say he could live indefinitely on this device.
The Syncardia total artificial heart costs about $125,000 and about $18,000 a year to maintain.
Rapid Onset of Acquired von Willebrand Syndrome Observed with Ventricular Assist Devices, Not SynCardia Total Artificial Heart
University Medical Center Freiburg in Germany Publishes Small Study Findings in “Thrombosis and Haemostasis”
The findings of a 12 patient study recently published in Thrombosis and Haemostasis by University Medical Center Freiburg documented that patients implanted with a ventricular assist device (VAD) experienced a rapid onset of acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS), while patients implanted with the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart did not. The lead author of the study was Dr. Claudia Heilmann, Head of the Research Department for the Department of Heart and Vascular Surgery at University Medical Center Freiburg.
“While patients with different types of VADs developed varying severities of AVWS, none of the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart patients developed it”
The study evaluated 12 patients who underwent implantation of a VAD or the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart between June 2006 and March 2009. Nine patients received VADs; two received HeartMate II left ventricular assist devices (LVAD), five received two Thoratec PVADs (Paracorporeal Ventricular Assist Devices) for biventricular support and two received the VentrAssist LVAD. Three patients received the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart.
Within two weeks of implantation, eight of the nine VAD patients had developed AVWS, and over the course of the study, all nine. AVWS was not observed at any point in time with the Total Artificial Heart patients. Haemolysis was most pronounced in BiVAD patients, less severe with the HeartMate II and mild in patients with the VentrAssist.
“Acquired von Willebrand Factor deficiency, a hemorrhagic risk factor, has entered into the lexicon and clinical practice of mechanical circulatory support over the past couple of years,” said Paul E. Nolan, Jr., PharmD, Professor of Pharmacy Practice & Science at the University of Arizona. “The group from University Medical Center in Freiburg should be congratulated for performing this prospective study. The absence of acquired von Willebrand Factor deficiency in Total Artificial Heart patients should be encouraging to clinicians and their patients. However, what is unknown at this point is whether acquired von Willebrand Factor deficiency occurs with patients implanted with the Total Artificial Heart for durations exceeding one year.”
About SynCardia Systems, Inc.
SynCardia Systems, Inc. is the Tucson-based manufacturer of the world’s only FDA, Health Canada and CE approved Total Artificial Heart: the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. There have been more than 850 implants of the Total Artificial Heart, accounting for more than 190 patient years of life on the device.
Originally used as a permanent replacement heart, the Total Artificial Heart is currently approved as a bridge to human heart transplant for people dying from end-stage biventricular failure. The Total Artificial Heart is the only device that provides immediate, safe blood flow of up to 9.5 L/min through both ventricles.
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