“The patient’s overall condition had deteriorated rapidly,” said Dr. David L.S. Morales, pediatric cardiovascular surgeon at Texas Children's Heart Center, who performed the surgery. “Jordan wa s waiting for a donor heart, but both ventricles and two of his valves were failing and we were running out of time. The Total Artificial Heart, which was immediately available when this patient needed it most, could take care of all of these problems with one operation.”
Jordan, who was born with multiple congenital heart defects and awaiting a transplant, progressed to end-stage biventricular failure. Jordan is only the third congenital heart patient under the age of 18 in the U.S. and the 6th in the world to be implanted with the Total Artificial Heart.
“He will still need a donor heart, but we have time now to wait for the best match,” said Dr. Jeffrey Dreyer, medical director of cardiac transplantation at Texas Children’s Hospital. “The Total Artificial Heart will improve his overall health and allow him to enjoy increased activity during the wait for a donor heart.”
Prior to being hospitalized, Jordan had been looking forward to his prom (May 27), his 18th birthday (May 29) and his graduation (June 5). Jordan missed his prom while in the hospital, but thanks to his medical team and SynCardia’s Total Artificial Heart, he celebrated his 18th birthday just a week after his surgery. Jordan was also able to watch his graduation ceremony online. Jordan’s class gave him a standing ovation when his 16-year-old sister accepted his diploma on his behalf.
Jordan was born with multiple congenital heart defects, including his heart on the wrong side of his chest (dextrocardia) and his heart vessels backwards (corrected transposition of the great arteries - TGA). Growing up, he underwent two open chest surgeries, several surgical revisions and implantation of a defibrillator. By Septemb er 2010, Jordan’s heart had begun to fail, and he was placed on the waiting list for a heart transplant.
In April 2011, Jordan was admitted to Texas Children’s Hospital with heart failure symptoms and kidney insufficiency. During the following weeks, he was in and out of the cardiovascular intensive care unit. Then, on the weekend of May 21, all of his organs began to fail and he was placed on a ventilator. To save Jordan’s life, on May 22, doctors implanted SynCardia’s Total Artificial Heart.
About The SynCardia Temporary Total Artificial Heart
SynCardia Systems, Inc. (Tucson, AZ) is the privately-held manufacturer of the world’s first and only FDA, Health Canada and CE approved Total Artificial Heart. Similar to a heart transplant, the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart replaces both failing heart ventricles and the four heart valves, eliminating the symptoms and source of end-stage biventricular failure. Unlike a donor heart, the Total Artificial Heart is immediately available at SynCardia Certified Centers and does not require expensive anti-rejection medication, which can cause subsequent complications.
Originally used as a permanent replacement heart, SynCardia’s Total Artificial Heart is currently approved as a bridge to transplant for people dying from end-stage biventricular heart failure. There have been more than 900 implants of the Total Artificial Heart, accounting for more than 210 patient years of life. It is the only device that provides immediate, safe blood flow of up to 9.5 liters per minute through both ventricles.
SynCardia Ranked #20 Among World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies
In March 2011, Fast Company magazine ranked SynCardia #20 in its annual list of the world’s 50 Most Innovative Companies for “giving mobility to artificial heart recipients.” Weighing 13.5 lbs, SynCardia’s Freedom® portable driver is the world’s first wearable drive r for powering the Total Artificial Heart both inside and outside the hospital. The Freedom driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
Sign-up to receive the latest news updates from SynCardia
For additional information, please visit: http://www.syncardia.com
or follow SynCardia on Twitter – @SynCardia_News
For further Information please contact:
Don Isaacs
VP Communications
SynCardia Systems Inc
1992 E Silverlake Rd
Tuscon AZ USA 85713
520-955-0660 cell
disaacs@syncardia.com
http://www.syncardia.com
