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CNN Live At Daybreak
Artificial Heart Patient Survives First 30 Days
Aired August 02, 2001 - 07:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A story about survival: You know, he was 50 years old. He was told that he only had 30 days to live because his heart was about to give out on him.
Well, the first recipient of the first fully self-contained artificial heart, it's made out of titanium and plastic, has now reached just passed the 30-day mark, I believe. He would have been dead by now, but he is alive because of this remarkable invention, as well as the work of heart surgeon Dr. Rob Dowling who joins us this morning.
Good morning, Dr. Dowling.
DR. ROBERT DOWLING, HEART SURGEON: Morning, Carol, how are you?
LIN: Good. How is your patient doing?
DOWLING: He's doing wonderful. He's gaining his strength. He's able to get up and move around. We're just very pleased with his progress.
LIN: How is he spending his days now?
DOWLING: I'm sorry.
LIN: How is he spending his days now? What's he doing?
DOWLING: Oh, yes, well, we kind of keep him busy. You know we have the physical therapists coming to see him and the nurses are exercising him and sometimes he just goes and sits and hangs out at the nurse's station and interacts with all the doctors, the lung doctors, the kidney doctors, everyone that's coming by. And sometimes he just listens to his CDs or watches a videotape, but you know, he's -- we keep him kind of busy.
LIN: I heard you have a new definition for the 100-yard dash.
DOWLING: Yes, pretty much. You know when we first saw him he couldn't take really two steps without help. You know now he can get up and move around and, you know, cover a pretty good amount of territory.
LIN: The nurses are saying, too, that his personality has really changed since the operation. DOWLING: Oh, I don't know that his personality has changed, it's that -- just that when he's feeling stronger his true personality is coming out and he's just full of life and he's a very clever, witty, little bit of a prankster, so it's been fun, yes.
LIN: Do you think it's just dawning on him that he may actually live?
DOWLING: Oh, I think when he -- when we first had him he was very aware of his limited survival of his own mortality and I think every day that he has that he views as a blessing. You know he wrote -- he wrote us a note the other day. We had a video conference with some of the other surgeons and nurses that are involved in the project and his one message to them was life is wonderful. And he truly believes that and he's just happy to be here with us and happy to able to breathe without an effort and get up and so forth.
LIN: Life is wonderful. I hear he's eating a lot of ice cream and cheesecake, is that true?
DOWLING: Well, not a lot, but we're just kind of starting him. And he did have some ice cream and some sherbet the other day and some cheesecake. And one of our goals for the next week or two is to get him switched from a feeding tube for his nutrition to just taking his nutrition the regular way, by mouth, like we all do.
LIN: Dr. Dowling, when are we going to actually meet your patient?
DOWLING: Oh, I don't know. It's -- you know he's anxious to get out and show the world that he's just a normal guy that kind of had a bad set of circumstances fall on him and how he was able to deal with that. But I think he wants to get a little stronger and feel more confident. But, you know, I think, you know, relatively soon.
LIN: Soon. All right, matter of weeks, months before he can check out and meet the press?
DOWLING: Oh, I think probably within a month's time, but it's going to be up to him. I'm just kind of speculating now because I know you guys want an answer, but I would think at least a couple of weeks, maybe a little bit longer.
LIN: It's -- it is remarkable, indeed. Very quickly, what does this 30-day mark mean to you from a scientific standpoint?
DOWLING: I'm sorry, Carol, I didn't hear you.
LIN: Dr. Dowling, what does this scientific -- scientifically mean to reach this 30-day mark?
DOWLING: Oh, it means a great deal for him to make it 30 days. You know...
(CROSSTALK)
LIN: But for you. I mean for someone who's pioneering this technology.
DOWLING: I'm not hearing you well, I'm sorry.
LIN: All right. I'm sorry, Dr. Dowling. OK, we'll try to follow up and we hope to see your patient real soon.
DOWLING: OK.
LIN: Thank you very much for joining us this morning.
DOWLING: OK. All right.
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