Berlin Heart Helps Infant Survive 251 Day Wait to Transplant

When little baby Joe was born, he was found to have Barth syndrome, a condition that causes weakening of the heart and leads to dilated cardiomyopathy. After birth, he was rushed to the neonatal emergency and was resuscitated several times from cardiac failure. Eventually, his heart was temporarily stabilized long enough so that he could be transferred to another hospital and placed on an Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation ( ECMO ) machine. ECMO machines are a large, bulky apparatus that is about the size of a small refrigerator that can temporarily perform the functions of both the heart and lungs. After a brief period on the ECMO machine, Joe was stabilized enough that he could undergo surgery to be placed on a Berlin heart. The Berlin heart is an partially implantable artificial heart, one of the few that is functional in pediatric patients. The majority of the Berlin heart is outside the body with four surgically implanted tubes that penetrate the abdomen and then connect to the Vena Cava, Aorta and pulmonary veins and arteries. The Berlin heart mimics the pulsatile function of a real heart. Still the Berlin heart is only designed to serve as a bridge to transplant, not a permenant replacement to the heart. Joe was placed on the wait list to receive a transplant heart but the demand greatly exceeds the supply. As the days went by, Joe’s anxiously awaited the day when he would receive a transplant know that with each passing day, his chances of survival diminished. After 228 days, Joe became to oldest baby to survive on Berlin heart. Finally after 255 days, the family finally received a call informing them that a matching doner had finally been found. The transplant heart was implanted successfully and now Joe lives a healthy and normal life. 

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9195667/Three-year-old-survives-251-days-with-artificial-heart.html