13 Year Old Colby Was JUST Implanted With an LVAD/ Please Check Out His Link

Hello all, Colby is 13 years old, he has just been implanted with an LVAD!!! I was tweeting with his Mom in the early AM this morning.  He has won over my heart... Wowwww.... PLEASE spread the word read more at his link...

CLICK HERE FOR COLBY'S LINK 

AND THE GOOD SAGA CONTINUES...

AND THE GOOD (LVAD) SAGA CONTINUES IN AARP MAGAZINE By Peter Jaret

X
The Morris' pictured here in front of Yankee Stadium, are enjoying 'extra innings' in life.

Photo by Gina Levay

Below is a Direct link to the article. However here are some excepts from the AARP article by Peter Jaret...

When damage to the heart is irreversible, as in most cases of congestive heart failure, the pump can buy time until a donor organ is available for a heart transplant. Before he suffered a heart attack at age 47, Michael-Joshua Morris, of New York City, was exceptionally active. After his heart attack, he couldn't walk more than 10 steps without gasping for breath and leaning on his wife, Anne Marie. Two years ago he had the device implanted. "What the heart attack took away from me, the LVAD gave back to me," says Morris, who still hopes to undergo a heart transplant.

But most recipients shrug off the inconveniences. "Sure, you've got a wire coming out of your gut, and batteries to worry about, and all that," says Morris. "I'm a Yankees fan, and someone once asked me if I felt as if my life was at the bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, bases loaded. The way I put it, my life is in extra innings. If I'd had my heart attack eight years ago, I wouldn't be alive. What can I be but grateful?"

http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-12-2011/heart-pump-helps-those-with-heart-failure.2.html

AND THE GOOD SAGA CONTINUES...

Understanding The Thoratec HeartMate II LVAD: A VISUAL PERSPECTIVE

The inner works that keep "The Good Saga Continuing..."

AND THE GOOD SAGA CONTINUES...

Former Vice President Dick Cheney Shows Off Heartmate II Batteries and Alarms,,,

Shown here is Former VP Cheney at an interview showing his LVAD 14 Hour Batteries. He also removed one of his 2 required batteries... showing that the LVAD system has back-up safety features with audible alarms. This is a great photo!

And The Good Saga Continues...

If President Lincoln had An LVAD...

"If President Lincoln had An LVAD..."

What I am trying to say here is... It is always best to do your homework in making the LVAD and any other decision. Once the decision is made keep doing your homework. It is always in your best interest.

And the good saga continues...

Is Your Cardiologist And Or LVAD Team Suggesting Flu Shot?

Last week... 1st time in my life, I got the Flu shot.

And the Good Saga Continues...

One Spin At A Time, A Day In The Life Of A Lucky LVAD Recipient. No Rodeo Yet!

With The LVAD, we must listen to our Doctors and Nurses and KNOW our own limitations and safety concerns while keeping active. Common Sense ABOVE ALL!

Here I am riding an old gentle horse name Delores. I mounted her via a concrete platform with steps, like a loading dock. i did not climb up on her as I would have normally done without the LVAD. On my ride, I was joined by a guide, my wife and daughter.

Everyday I am finding new reasons to love and respect my Heartmate2 LVAD!


Me, Myself and My LVAD, getting to ride Delores on a slow and easy run. No Rodeos yet!

Take Note: The LVAD battery wire (gray) exiting the controller :-)

And the good saga continues...

A Day In The LIFE Of An LVAD Recipient/A Photo Essay

A beautiful Braided horse named Shai

An old peaceful horse loved his muscular Jowls massaged

This guy loved rubbing his face up against mine! It was great!

SUNSET @ CITY ISLAND/NYC

CITY ISLAND SEA GULLS AWAIT FOOD ;-)

BEAUTIFUL STATEMENT ON PLAQUE @ CEMETERY ON THE WATER...

ZOOM IN AND READ ;-)

STARTED DAY WASHING THE TRUCK. BECAUSE OF THE LVAD I HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM VACUUMS...

Thoratec Quoted Me On Their Website ;-)

Nice, Thoratec quoted me on their Website and also posted a photo of me. Thank You.

http://www.thoratec.com/vad-trials-outcomes/patient-stories/details.aspx?sid=5

And the VERY good saga coninues...

Tomorrow Is Not Promised To Anyone... But...

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. I can attest to that and feel more blessed that the LVAD has given me the quality of life (naturally with some restrictions) I had prior to my heart attack.

The remnants of my silent heart attack left me struggling to walk a maximum of 5 feet, let alone run. My left ventricle ceased to function at an adequate rate to sustain life as I knew it... i could not even hold my 10 month old grandson!

Running, swimming and contact sports are some of the restrictions while with the LVAD, however I am free to enjoy lifting my grandchildren... and trying to keep up with them.

I look back and think that without the LVAD, the best case scenario would find myself confined to my sofa, maybe a hospital bed in my own home... or even admitted to the hospital full time... for up to a year or more awaiting a heart transplant.

The LVAD is a gift that i can never repay to all those committed... to Thoratec, who brought my Heartmate2 LVAD to reality, the team who implanted and grafted the LVAD to my heart. And last but not least, the LVAD Nation located on the 7th floor at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. THANK YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN!


What the heart attack took away the LVAD GAVE BACK TO ME. This is priceless.

For the past 7 months, after my LVAD implant, the LVAD has continued to make "me" feel like "me" again!

And the good saga continues...

email me @: LVADone@gmail.com

My LVAD makes people say to me "WOW!" People ask me "Why? How?"

My LVAD makes people say to me "WOW!" People ask me "why? How?"

This blog has kept me busy in ways i never thought. Since my first post, back in February, I have been in touch with other LVAD recipients and their families, medical professionals ranging from Nurses to Surgeons... Paramedics, First Responders and Physicians and LVAD Coordinators. From around the world and across the United States, people are reaching out to each other in an effort to better our own lives and to better the lives of future LVAD recipients. My LVAD contacts now reach 12 Countries / 19 States and counting...

Over 4,000 people across the world have the LVAD implant.

3,000+ are located here in the states.

How am I receiving life with the LVAD?! I am 47 years old and had a devastating heart attack 7 months back and the LVAD implanted 6 months ago. Having this LVAD is winning the lottery for me... it has restored a better quality of life for me that i can not put a price on.

With that said, i DO find myself sacrificing alot, but i cant control these changes. What was ...was. However the positives do outnumber the negatives and thats all I care about.

I try NOT to look back and say WHY? Why me? Its normal to feel this way, but i do know its not healthy to look back and question while tormenting myself mentally. What is ...is.

So i choose to look Forward. At times its a slight struggle to keep positive, so thats when i start occupying my mind with other things... change gears. In a way i distract myself from feeling down. I postpone it with no intentions of ever redeeming it :-)

I always remind myself that the man who complained of no shoes, Stopped complaining when he saw the man with no feet...

No doubt... keeping happy is hard work and feeling down is easy... too easy... but not at all Productive! So i keep my mind busy being productive.

Besides... I have kids and grandsons to set an example for... in ways known and unknown to me... :-)

Should you have any questions, send them my way... maybe we can share some ideas...

...keep mentally tough with a poker-face and body strong with a game-face.

And the good saga continues...
email me at: LVADone@gmail.com

LVAD LUNCH AND LEARN

LVAD Lunch & Learn
For LVAD recipients and families to participate in an LVAD Support Group

Date: May 3rd, 2010

Time: 11:00am – 2:00pm

Lunch will be served

Location: Montefiore Medical Center
3415 Bainbridge Ave Bronx, New York
CHAM Conference Room

Guest Speakers:

Nicolette Keen,MS,RD,CDN
Paula Marcus M.D.
Jery Whitworth RN...

Lunch provided by Thoratec Corporation
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I often joke with my LVAD team at Columbia-Presbyterian/NYC that with my LVAD lithium batteries, I can charge a dead battery in a car. I am now convinced after meeting with 20 + LVAD recipients at one gathering, we all probably can jump-start a Jumbo Jet should the occasion arise. :-)


As I end a great day and change my power source from my lithium batteries to my PBU leads ...yes Margaret, I do sleep without batteries :-)... I can not help to think of how honored I feel to be given the podium to speak before 20+ LVAD recipients. It was also an opportunity to meet Simone Van Tull from the transplantcafe.com site, Dick Clark and Mr. Stowe, all who are LVAD recipients and I have gotten to know them (or of them) from online connections or the telephone. This conference also enabled me to exchange contact info with many new LVAD brothers and sisters :-)

Honored... me at the podium, another humbling experience.

I discussed my ideas on how to live a more comfortable life with the LVAD, such as using the 511Tactical Holster Shirt and my encounters with Thoratec; the company that developed the Heartmate 2 LVAD. In turn, I was asked many questions.

It was amazing to see a conference room populated by folks powered by an LVAD. On the agenda, LVAD medical professionals discussed with the LVAD group ways to address situations that an LVAD recipient may encounter, such as stress, depression, meditations and palliative decisions to name a few.


What was particularly interesting to me was the time taken to heed the words from the LVAD recipient’s caretakers and recognizing their tasks and responsibilities in assisting the LVAD recipient in their daily lives. With that said, I THANK my wife.

And the good saga continues...

Dr Naka Succeeded Dr Oz

When Dr Oz headed for TV land,
Dr Naka took over the reigns.
Dr Naka is the surgeon who
performed my LVAD implant at
New York Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

Is Dr Naka the next TV doctor?



Yoshifumi Naka, MD, PhD

Positions and Appointments
2001-present Associate Professor of Surgery
Columbia University College of
Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY
2003-present Director, Cardiac Transplantation Program
Columbia University Medical Center,
New York, NY
2001-present Director, Mechanical Circulatory Support Program
Columbia University Medical Center,
New York, NY
1999-present Attending Surgeon
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
Clinical SpecialtiesGeneral adult cardiac surgery
Adult cardiac surgery for coronary artery disease
Valvular heart disease
Heart/lung transplantation
Mechanical circulatory support device implantation
Research InterestsCardiac and pulmonary transplantation
Organ preservation
Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation
Mechanical circulatory support devices
Vein graft disease after bypass surgery

Education and Training
1996-1998 Visiting Clinical Fellowship, Cardiothoracic Surgery
Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
1993-1996 Research Fellowship,
Cardiac and Pulmonary Transplantation
Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
1993 Fellowship, Cardiovascular Surgery
Osaka Police Hospital, Japan
1991 Residency
Osaka Police Hospital, Japan
1989 Research and Clinical Fellowship
Osaka University Medical School, Japan
1988 PhD
Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
1984 MD
Osaka University Medical School, Japan

Professional Experience1998-1999 Junior Attending Surgeon
Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
Professional HonorsCournand and Comroe Young Investigator Award, American Heart Association, 1995

Young Investigators Award, Japanese Association of Thoracic Surgery, 1988
Professional Societies and CommitteesMEMBERSHIPS
American Association for Thoracic Surgery
American Heart Association,
Councils of Circulation and Cardiothoracic Surgery
American Society for Artificial Internal Organs
American Society of Transplant Surgeons
International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation
Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery
Japanese Circulation Society
Japan Surgical Society
New York Society of Thoracic Surgery
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Society of University Surgeons

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Co-Chair, Satellite Symposium 3 “Current trends in mechanical assistance: Role of destination therapy” at the annual meeting of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, San Francisco, USA, 2004

Co-Chair, "Featured Research Session" at the annual meeting of the Japanese Circulation Society, Sapporo, Japan, 2002

Co-Chair, "More VADs go bad," at the annual meeting of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, Vancouver, 2001

Chair, "A issue in device immunology", at the annual meeting of the World Artificial-Organ, Immunology, and Transplantation, Ottawa, 2001

Chair, "Device patient interaction" at the International Heart and Lung Transplantation 3rd Fall Education Meeting, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Replacement II, Anaheim, 2001

Guest Editor, Ann Thoracic Surg 71 (suppl); Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Circulatory Support Devices For Severe Cardiac Failure. New York, NY, 9/15-17/00

For more information on Dr Naka please visit:
http://asp.cumc.columbia.edu/facdb/profile_list.asp?uni=yn33&DepAffil=Surgery

And the good saga continues...

My HEARTMATE ll: The Creed of an LVAD Recipient

--------------------------------------------------------

Dedicated to the entire SURGICAL & LVAD TEAM and nurses at NYP.

Especially for Margaret, Rosie, Jennifer, Khristine, Donna,

Dr Bijou, Dr Naka & Dr Takayama

--------------------------------------------------------

My Rifle: The Creed of a US Marine
by Major General William H. Rupertus USMC, Ret.
(written following the attack on Pearl Harbor)

has been adapted for the respect of a

HEARTMATE ll LVAD and the Recipient.

My HEARTMATE ll: The Creed of an LVAD Recipient

This is my HEARTMATE ll. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

My HEARTMATE ll is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

My HEARTMATE ll, without me, is useless. Without my HEARTMATE ll , I am useless. I must use my HEARTMATE ll honest & true. I must remain more diligent in diet and form than my enemies that attack my health and heart. I must act before it acts upon me. I will...

My HEARTMATE ll and myself know that what counts in this war is not only the blood that pumps and flows, the progress or setbacks, We know it is also for the general good of future generations that count. We will...

My HEARTMATE ll is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its purpose and its flow. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my HEARTMATE ll clean from bacteria and have the spare equal and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...

Before God, I swear this creed. My HEARTMATE ll and myself are the defenders of my well-being. We are the masters of our enemies. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is achieved and there is no enemy, but peace and a healthier life!

and the good saga continues...

The FUTURE PROVIDES THE WIRELESS LVAD/Reducing Infection and Mortality.

2 Informative PDF files explaining the WIRELESS LVAD:

PDF 1:

A Frequency Control Method for Regulating Wireless Power to Implantable Devices

http://www.tetcor.com/A%20freq%20control%20method%20for%20regulaing%20wireless%20power%20to%20implantable%20devices%20(ping%20si).pdf

PDF 2:
Wireless Power Supply for Implantable Biomedical
Device Based on Primary Input Voltage Regulation

http://www.tetcor.com/Ping%20wp%20paper.pdf

LINK:
Brief but interesting info on TRANSCUTANEOUS as opposed to percutaneous lines: Wireless Technology Sparks New Approach to Powering Implantable Devices

http://www.devicelink.com/mpmn/archive/07/03/009.html


SOME BACKGROUND HISTORY ON THE WIRELESS LVAD ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN Transitions" 2002, a Penn State College of Medicine publication and the DESIGN NEWS:

Rosenberg Named 2002 Engineer of the Year

Rosenberg has worked on heart-assist pumps since 1970 when he joined the Penn State research team as a graduate student. He earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from Penn State. U.S. clinical trials began for the Rosenberg team’s implanted Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD), manufactured by commercial partner Arrow International, Inc., when in February 2001, Penn State’s Walter E. Pae, Jr., successfully implanted the left ventricular assist system for the first in the United States. Called the Arrow LionHeart™, it is the first LVAD powered by wireless electric transmission.

LionHeart TM is intended to help a large population that is ineligible for transplant and for whom medical therapy has failed. Surgeons in Europe have been implanting the device in clinical trials since 1999. Rosenberg said that LVADs represent less risk to patients, both in surgery and later on. "With an LVAD, if there is a component failure, a patient can still rely temporarily on their own heart until the problem is solved," he said, “and because no wires or tubes protrude through the recipient’s skin, the system reduces the chances for serious infection. LionHeart™ is intended to help this much larger population that is ineligible for transplant and for whom medical therapy has failed.” Rosenberg’s team also has an electro-mechanical total artificial heart that is very close in concept to its LVAD.

Rosenberg has found another commercial partner, Abiomed, Danvers, Massachusetts for this device. Abiomed developed AbioCor, a total artificial heart driven by an electro-hydraulic system that Time magazine called the “2001 invention of the year." Abiomed plans to do clinical trials in 2004 of a smaller version of the Penn State heart, suitable for women and children.

Abiomed CEO David Lederman said of Rosenberg, "Gus is one of the primary contributors to this field, and I have tremendous respect for him. We were competitors,but we also have shared a lot of information over the years"

Here is a more recent photo Dr. Rosenberg. He can still be reached at Penn State University.

And the good saga continues...

LVAD Man? IRON MAN? PEOPLE ASK WHY...

Iron Man?
LVAD Man!
Many people ask why!

For reasons that are not obvious and reasons that are... such as his artificial heart, demeanor and driven strength... Iron Man became a symbol for me and my family.

The Iron Man character is fierce but appropriate. I never saw the movie before ...UNTIL I was in the hospital bed, with the LVAD situation fresh in my mind and the HOSPITAL providing all CCU patients & LVAD recipients with FREE Premium TV and Movies.

The Movie playing at the time was Iron Man... very fierce looking at first, the character in the movie was an ironic comparison and adrenaline raiser for me. The PHOTO below is the 1st Iron Man (Wont tell you too much, not to ruin the movie lol) as the result of being built purely in a dark dingy cave in the middle of nowhere.

I photoshop-ed an American Flag on Iron Man's right arm and the caption.

PHOTO BELOW IS THE KNOWN VERSION OF IRON MAN, tactfully and SURGICALLY CREATED IN THE PROPER ENVIRONS OF A LAB:

And as for me, the hospital was NOT MY dingy cave, MY dingy CAVE was being "under" the weird edgy soreness and stupor of the MEDS and open-heart surgery. MY cave "escape" was post-op when I was allowed to go HOME and conquer my normal and newest tasks once again. Thank you Columbia-Presbyterian Surgery Team, LVAD Nation and Dr Bijou!!!

***IRON MAN 2 PREMIERS MAY 2010***

HERE IS TRAILER FROM 1ST IRON MAN 2009:



and the good saga continues...

HeartMate® II 75 page PDF DOWNLOAD:

LVAD/Thoratec info/Revision O December 14, 2006:

HeartMate® II LVAS:

Patient Management Guidelines

75 page PDF DOWNLOAD here:

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/DOCKETS/ac/07/briefing/2007-4333b2-20-%209_4%20HM%20II%20Patient%20Management%20Guidelines.pdf

And the good saga continues...

"Why were you so quiet? It woke me from my sleep!?"

-------------------------------------------------------------
Perhaps this is a story that words can not do it justice, however i will try because this is Khristine's (from the FAMED "LVAD TEAM" of NYP) favorite story :-)
-------------------------------------------------------------

It's 3am, my wife sleeps peacefully in bed. It has been months since my surgery; having an LVAD implanted and grafted to my heart. One way or another my wife is always by my side watching my back and watching over our household. Its amazing how she also manages her full-time job in her full schedule. And there she rests, after a full day, she is quietly sleeping.

When we sleep, THORATEC sugggests the LVAD's power source should be plugged into the Power Base Unit (PBU) ...while the PBU is plugged into the wall's electrical outlet. In this mode I can walk up to 20-25 feet with the PBU's power cord before i run out of leash.

Should i need to walk further, I must change my power source over to battery. Now 3:05am wanting to walk further into the livingroom, I need to change the power source and will try not to wake her up.

Now its 3:10am and when switching over to battery, the PBU and the System Controller (that is worn around my waist) will launch high pitched alarms to alert me that there is a brief disconnection and a connection is needed quickly.

However, if you can transfer from PBU to battery in less than 5 seconds, no alarms will sound; all remains quiet.

So in an effort not to disturb my wife's sleep, I slowly remove myself from the bed and exchange power sources in under 5 seconds. No blaring and high pitched alarms. She did not wake up :-)

It wasn't until i was walking outside the bedroom, my wife woke up lunging, startled from the "emptiness" of the bed. She Looked at me and quickly said "Why were you so quiet? It woke me from my sleep!?" And here i was trying to avoid the LOUD alarms not to wake her up but found being quiet... she wakes up too.

My wife, My best Friend, the caregiver always has my back!

and the good saga continues...

The LVAD is a sensible and remarkable option for people with heart falure.

Due to my heart failure my Cardiologist told me i would need a temporary LVAD (left ventricular assist device) to extend my life and lead as normal of a life as possible until my heart transplant. I was classified as a "Bridge to Transplant" patient. Other folks who can not receive a heart transplant may recieve a permanent LVAD under the classification "Destination Therapy".

The LVAD is a titanium pump that does the job of the heart's left ventricle; pumping oxygen enriched blood.

It is implanted behind the ribcage and grafted to the heart.

The pump is a mini jet/turbine motor turning 8,600 +/- revolutions per minute (RPM). Its job is to pump 4 to 7 liters of blood per minute from the left ventricle up to the aorta. The LVAD is powered through a special wire called a driveline that is connected to the pump portion of the LVAD and tracks through the body to an exit point in the lower left or right abdomen.

The driveline wire exits the abdomen and is connected to a system controller/computer that monitors and powers the LVAD. The main functions of the system controller maintain the pump motor's RPM, the amount of blood flow while alerting the LVAD recipient with alarms should something be abnormal or fail. It also stores in depth daily data that can be seen on a home base system monitor or retrieved at the hospital during routine checkups.

The power source of the LVAD is electricity via a household electrical outlet or 2 lithium batteries. The lithium batteries can last up to 16+ hours in an emergency but 12 hours is the recommended use before changing to fully charged batteries.

Each battery weighs close to 1.5 lbs and worn in shoulder-supported holsters.

When at home, but especially asleep, the batteries are removed and the LVAD is plugged into a household electrical outlet. Each time an LVAD recipient leaves his or her home, they must carry at least 2 extra batteries and an extra system controller in the event of rare problems or failures.

As an LVAD recipient, I believe the LVAD is a sensible and remarkable option for people with heart falure. As stated by a cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Dr Ulrich Jorde said "...it could save the lives of 10,000 Americans a year."

And it saved mine.

And the good saga continues...