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American Morning

Artificial Heart Patient Set to Address the Media

Aired August 21, 2001 - 11:44   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The owner of the first self-contained artificial heart will make himself known to the world just a little later today.

CNN plans live coverage of the news conference by 59-year-old Robert Tools. It's at 2:00 p.m. in the East.

While we wait, though, CNN medical correspondent Rhonda Rowland joins us from Jewish Hospital in Louisville -- hi, Rhonda.

RHONDA ROWLAND, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

There's a lots of excitement here at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. As you just said, a little more than two hours from now, the veil of secrecy will be lifted. We will meet this person who was brave enough to undergo this historical operation.

What we keep hearing from the doctors, from the staff is that he is a good man, a nice man. And they say they can't wait for us to meet him. And, of course, we will soon meet him. And although he is still very, very ill, they say he is doing so much better than he was on July 2, when he came in for this operation.

Of course, he was the first person to receive the AbioCor artificial heart. It is quite different from the Jarvik 7 artificial heart implanted in several people during the 1980s, who were attached to a very loud, large machine, the size of a dishwasher. This one is totally implantable. It is run on batteries.

Again, he will hopefully -- what the goal is, is that he will be able to resume a normal life. Still, we know that the patient's name was released to the press last evening against the patient's wishes. He wished to reveal his name, his identity on his own terms to protect his family, to protect his neighbors. And this morning, we spoke with his surgeon, Dr. Robert Dowling. And he said that he is sad for the family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROBERT DOWLING, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE: I think the important thing here is that the patient was the one who decided when. And he's a very private person. And he's a family man.

And he has concerns about the stress that it may cause for his family, and the stress that it may cause for his friends, and the stress it may cause in his neighborhood. And he just wants to be seen as a normal person. He doesn't want -- he just wants to go back to his house and go back to doing his hobbies. He doesn't want to pull into his neighborhood with sirens blazing and everyone -- and all the neighbors, "Oh, you know, there's the new Bob," and that type of thing.

So, now we are a little bit sad, but he's doing well. We are just so happy. And, you know, he views every day as a blessing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLAND: So despite that little glitch, the patient is very excited. He apparently walked down to the media office and looked at the videotape that they're preparing to show today of him doing some activities.

Again, he'll speak at 2:00 with a statement. He'll answer a few questions from the media. It will only be him speaking. We are told his family is a little shy. So for now, we'll just be hearing from him -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Rhonda, how was it that Robert Tools was selected for this historic surgery? Obviously, there are a lot of people with heart conditions.

ROWLAND: That's right.

And what we are told is that there were a number of people who came forward. They were evaluated. But they did not meet the criteria. There is very strict criteria in this particular study. We're not sure exactly why the other people were not selected.

But he met the criteria for the study. And, also, what's important to know is that he had exhausted all other treatment options. They did evaluate him to make sure that he was not a candidate for a heart transplant. So they looked at that and they said he was a candidate. So he went forward -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Rhonda Rowland, we can't wait to hear from him. Thanks so much.

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