Every day, what was once science fiction becomes real.
Tuesday, a Palmyra man is at home, meaning he is the only man in PA living at home with a totally artificial heart after leaving the hospital Tuesday.
This incredible medical breakthrough took place at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
No wants to use an artificial heart, but when you consider the alternative, it is an exciting possibility and that possibility is now more and more a reality.
But not the reality of actually going home with an artificial heart, that is until now.
The machine is known as ECMO for short, but it is a machine that keeps you tied to the hospital. But it is something a lot smaller that is letting Bob Phillips go home at last after his heart attack.
We were unable to interview Mr. Phillips because doctors were concerned that it would cause his blood pressure to spike to a potentially unhealthy level.
Even though Bob was in good shape and looked much younger than his 74 years, his heart attack last August was so severe that his heart was not repairable.
“The wall between the two pumping valves was destroyed,” explained Dr. Walter E. Pae, Penn State Hershey Medical Center Surgeon and Professor.
“So his whole heart was essentially rotted.”
There has been about 1,100 artificial hearts implanted in the USA.
Bob could have actually been home months ago, but the hospital had to make sure the infrastructure was in place.
Those on artificial hearts like Bob Phillips have about an about 80 percent chance of getting a heart transplant and because he was in such good health, except for his heart, he could on average expect another ten years of life with his new heart. But he has to hold on until then and the wait time can be about a year.
Tuesday, a Palmyra man is at home, meaning he is the only man in PA living at home with a totally artificial heart after leaving the hospital Tuesday.
This incredible medical breakthrough took place at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
No wants to use an artificial heart, but when you consider the alternative, it is an exciting possibility and that possibility is now more and more a reality.
But not the reality of actually going home with an artificial heart, that is until now.
The machine is known as ECMO for short, but it is a machine that keeps you tied to the hospital. But it is something a lot smaller that is letting Bob Phillips go home at last after his heart attack.
We were unable to interview Mr. Phillips because doctors were concerned that it would cause his blood pressure to spike to a potentially unhealthy level.
Even though Bob was in good shape and looked much younger than his 74 years, his heart attack last August was so severe that his heart was not repairable.
“The wall between the two pumping valves was destroyed,” explained Dr. Walter E. Pae, Penn State Hershey Medical Center Surgeon and Professor.
“So his whole heart was essentially rotted.”
There has been about 1,100 artificial hearts implanted in the USA.
Bob could have actually been home months ago, but the hospital had to make sure the infrastructure was in place.
Those on artificial hearts like Bob Phillips have about an about 80 percent chance of getting a heart transplant and because he was in such good health, except for his heart, he could on average expect another ten years of life with his new heart. But he has to hold on until then and the wait time can be about a year.