Implanted blood pump heartens Toledoan’s Yule [The Blade, Toledo, Ohio]

Dec. 17--James Howell can get around on his own this holiday season after two area surgeons replaced his failed heart with an artificial blood pump in what appears to be the first such surgery in northwest Ohio.

"Every time I climb the flight of eight to 10 stairs at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church I feel stronger," the Toledo man, 65, said.

Said Dr. Thomas Schwann, one of two doctors who did the surgery six weeks ago at the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital: "Aside from competitive swimming, most activities are on the table."

Known as an LVAD, or left ventricular assist device, the pump is expected to run without incident for eight to 10 years. Mr. Howell's two-year survival chances have increased from about 8 percent before the Nov. 2 surgery to between 75 and 80 percent after it, according to Dr. Mark Bonnell, the other doctor who performed the surgery.

Dr. Schwann, Dr. Mark Bonnell, and Mr. Howell, 65, of Toledo, joined hospital leaders at a news conference Friday at UTMC's Center for Creative Education on the UT health science campus in South Toledo to announce his successful surgery and continuing recovery.

Diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 1995, Mr. Howell's condition quickly deteriorated this autumn.

"One minute, I felt fine, and the next I was so short of breath that I couldn't walk from one end of my house to the other," said Mr. Howell, who had been on medication to treat his condition. "The failure happened so quickly, the LVAD turned out to be my only option."

Like Mr. Howell, patients with advanced heart failure can deteriorate quickly and unpredictably, Dr. Schwann said, and thus it is wise to consider whether a patient is a candidate for LVAD therapy before it's too late.

"Patients and their families have had to travel outside of our community or out-of-state to get access to the latest LVAD technology now available at UTMC," said Dr. Schwann, chief of cardiothoracic surgery. "With more than 300,000 annual deaths from heart failure, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. This is a big step forward for the region as UTMC continues to enhance its comprehensive heart failure program."

Recruited by Dr. Schwann and others at UTMC to direct the LVAD program, Dr. Bonnell had arrived at UTMC just weeks before Mr. Howell's condition worsened.

"Jim has had a remarkable recovery and I think that's a tribute to how seriously he has taken his responsibilities, the fabulous support structure he has around him, and the outstanding team of doctors and clinicians here at UTMC," Dr. Bonnell said.

The device is implanted in a muscular pocket below the heart, and an electrical lead called a driveline exits the right side of the body. Mr. Howell has battery packs he uses throughout the day. Dr. Bonnell said Mr. Howell's treatment and equipment cost about $130,000, of which the pump itself represented about $80,000, all paid by Mr. Howell's health insurance.

"That's the same device [former Vice President] Dick Cheney has in," he added.

Contact Mike Sigov at: [email protected] or 419-724-6089.

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