Heart Assist Pump Supports Patient Longer Than Any Other Mechanical Heart in the World
NEW YORK, New York, August 16, 2004. JARVIK HEART, Inc., a developer of advanced technology for the treatment of heart failure, announced today that 67-year-old patient Peter Houghton of England has set a new world record, logging his 1518th day of life-saving support by the Jarvik 2000 FlowMaker® mechanical heart. Mr. Houghton is the first cardiac-assist-device patient ever to live so long—about four years and two months, so far—supported by a single assist device. And he continues to enjoy good health.
Near the end of a losing battle with cardiomyopathy in June 2000, Mr. Houghton faced a difficult choice. Then 63 years old and ineligible for a heart transplant, he was near death and, in his words, had “made peace with it.” But doctors offered him an option: Mr. Houghton could volunteer to become the first lifetime-use patient in the European clinical trial of the Jarvik 2000.
Since the implantation of his mechanical heart more than four years ago, Mr. Houghton has done more than just survive: He has resumed an active life. When marking his first anniversary with the device in 2001, Mr. Houghton completed a 91-mile charity walk to raise money for England’s Artificial Heart Fund. Today, he works full-time raising money to help more patients benefit from new cardiac treatments and promoting the kind of research that saved his own life. During his years of what he calls “extra life,” Mr. Houghton has published two books, lectured widely, hiked in the Swiss Alps and the American West, flown in an ultra-light aircraft, and traveled extensively around the world.
Mr. Houghton’s own natural heart has been so dramatically rehabilitated that it can now support him even if his mechanical heart is turned off for short periods of time. Once, when he was shopping in London, a purse-snatcher stole his heart-control system and battery, which Mr. Houghton carried in a camera bag over his shoulder. After the thief had run a short distance, a loud alarm began to sound because the battery had become disconnected. The alarm frightened the thief, who then dropped the bag. Mr. Houghton recovered it and restarted his mechanical heart himself, unharmed.
Mr. Houghton’s recovery and excellent quality of life owe much to the design of the Jarvik 2000. The external components of the mechanical heart, including the battery and pump controller, are small and weigh less than three pounds. The implanted device itself is a tiny, titanium axial-flow pump that silently boosts the output of a weakened, failing heart. The thumb-sized Jarvik 2000 slips inside the left ventricle, allowing it to continue to fill with blood and eject it. As such, the mechanical heart keeps the natural heart intact and in use but takes over some of the workload, giving the natural heart a rest and a chance to heal.
Based on engineering studies that predict extremely low wear, the Jarvik 2000 is expected to be durable for many years to come. With Mr. Houghton’s indomitable spirit and a little luck to avoid life’s other pitfalls—he recently tripped over his cat, tumbled down the stairs, and then sailed through a glass window at the bottom—his future is bright.
JARVIK HEART celebrates this medical milestone with the launch of its patient-focused Web site, www.jarvikheart.com, which offers information on heart failure, its treatment, and the Jarvik 2000 FlowMaker mechanical heart.
About JARVIK HEART, INC.
JARVIK HEART is a private company that develops miniaturized heart assist devices for the treatment of severe congestive heart failure. The company, formed in 1988, is located in Manhattan. Leon Hirsch, founder and former Chairman of United States Surgical Corporation, serves as Chairman. Robert Jarvik, M.D., inventor of the Jarvik 7 and Jarvik 2000 mechanical hearts, is President and Chief Executive Officer. Marilyn vos Savant, columnist for Parade magazine, is Chief Financial Officer.
The Jarvik 2000 FlowMaker® mechanical heart, the company's silent titanium axial-flow blood pump, is used by leading hospitals in the United States as a bridge to heart transplant under an FDA-approved clinical investigation. In Europe, clinical trials are underway to establish the Jarvik 2000 as a lifetime treatment option. As an investigational device, the Jarvik 2000 has been implanted in more than 100 patients dying of heart failure. Most of those patients have been discharged from the hospital and became long-term survivors.
Source: Jarvik Heart, Inc.
Date: 8/16/2004