Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 12, 1993 TAG: 9306120093
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: FAIRFAX LENGTH: Medium
The 41-year-old landscaper is the first recipient of an experimental battery-powered heart pump at Fairfax Hospital. The hospital is one of three nationwide selected to test the device.
The pump implanted in February is keeping Dorsey's diseased heart working. It's working so well, in fact, that Dorsey is now almost entirely well, said hospital spokeswoman Jane Albright.
But the federal Food and Drug Administration requires that clinical trials of new devices or drugs take place inside a controlled environment. That means that although Dorsey could easily manage on his own, he must stay in the hospital.
"If they'd let me, I'd be out of here tomorrow," Dorsey said. "It's pretty boring."
Dorsey must stay in the cardiac ward until a suitable heart becomes available for transplant, Albright said.
Dorsey owes his life to the portable pump.
The Montgomery County, Md., father of six went to his doctor in January for a checkup, complaining of chronic shortness of breath.
"I knew something was wrong, but I wasn't sure what," Dorsey said.
Dorsey's doctor put him in the hospital. His condition, known as idiopathic cardiomyopathy, worsened. Dorsey suffered congestive heart failure in late February and was given 24 to 48 hours to live without a heart transplant.
"He was on death's door when we made the decision," to implant the pump Feb. 21, Albright said.
Dorsey's condition improved almost immediately, she said.
"At first I was very weak. I could only go a few steps without getting out of breath. I go all over the place, now," Dorsey said.
The pump itself is not new. Called HeartMate, it has been a fairly common option for patients awaiting heart transplants since it came on the market in 1990, Albright said. What is new is the power source for the device. Instead of a machine the size of a television that must be wheeled around next to the patient on a cart, Dorsey wears two small battery packs, each the size of a pocket radio.
Eight of the battery-driven devices have been implanted so far.
by CNB