Artificial Heart Patient Speaks to the Public

More than six weeks after receiving the softball-sized titanium and plastic heart, Tools said he was ready to “take away the mystery” from his identity.

The 59-year-old patient had been concerned about his family’s privacy and thanked the press for respecting their space.

Tools said his new heart is heavier than his original one, and makes more noise. “The biggest thing is getting used to not having a heartbeat — I have a whirring sound. And that makes me realize that I’m alive because I can hear it without a stethoscope.”

Tools, who has diabetes and a history of heart trouble, said he did not have a tough time deciding to take part in the clinical trial. “I could sit here and die, or I could come here and take a chance,” he said in a quiet voice.

Tools has been at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky since the operation on July 2, and doctors say they are pleased with his progress. At that time, doctors said he only had one month to live.

“It was an experiment,” he said from a chair in his doctor’s office. “I asked for it because I had no more chances to survive.”

Tools was deemed ineligible for a heart transplant because his health problems were too great.

Dr. Robert Dowling, one of the doctors from the University of Louisville who implanted the heart, said Tools would need to gain 20 pounds and gain more strength before he could go home. “I think when he gets his strength, the device will allow him go fishing and on walks,” Dowling said.

The AbioCor Implantable Replacement Heart is said to be the world’s first self-contained artificial heart. It is battery-powered and runs without wires, tubes or hoses sticking out of the chest.

At the time of the operation, doctors said they hoped Mr. Tools’ life would be extended to two months.

Experts say the AbioCor Implantable Replacement Heart is an improvement over past artificial hearts that attached to bulky wires and pumps outside of the body.

The most famous example was the Jarvik-7, first implanted in patient Barney Clark in 1982. The Jarvik had an external console about the size of a washing machine. No recipient lived longer than 620 days with it.

The AbioCor is designed to move blood through the lungs and to the rest of the body, simulating the rhythm of a heartbeat.

Doctors say that if the implant proves successful, they hope to extend the trial to several dozen patients. They hope that over time the device will extend patients’ lives by five years.