Patient Sets World Record for Living with Heart Assist Device

From left, cardiovascular surgeon Bud Frazier, MD of the Texas Heart Institute with Peter Houghton, who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest surviving cardiac patient supported by a mechanical heart without replacement.

HOUSTON (July 6, 2007) - Peter Houghton of the United Kingdom recently celebrated his seventh anniversary with the Jarvik 2000 heart assist device. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest surviving cardiac patient supported by a mechanical heart without replacement.

By all accounts, Peter Houghton, now 69, should be dead. He was near the end of a losing battle with cardiomyopathy in June 2000 when he chose to be treated with the experimental Jarvik 2000, a tiny mechanical heart then beginning a clinical trial. He survived. Dr. Bud Frazier, chief of Cardiopulmonary Transplantation and director of Surgical Research at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s, implanted the Jarvik with Dr. Stephen Westaby, a surgeon at the John Radcliff hospital in Oxford, England.

“The courage and steadfast resolve of patients like Peter is contagious to those physicians involved in his care. When I first saw him, I feared he was a poor candidate having what we would consider now relative medical contraindications to the Jarvik implant. The operation took over eight hours, he lost much blood and developed kidney failure after the surgery. Yet he recovered and continues to lead an active, productive and meaningful life,” said Dr. Frazier.

The Jarvik 2000 pump, about the size of a “C” battery, is implanted in the left ventricle of the heart and provides continuous blood flow to the body. In the United Kingdom, it is approved for permanent use because it is considerably more economical than a heart transplant. In the U.S., only the HeartMate pump, developed in the mid 80s at the Texas Heart Institute (THI), is approved for permanent use. Dr. Frazier, who has implanted 70 patients with the Jarvik pump, is currently conducting research on a dozen different heart assist devices. Jarvik Heart, Inc. is hoping to receive FDA approval later this year to begin a U.S. study to evaluate the Jarvik heart assist device for permanent use. THI, which has implanted more Jarvik pumps than any other facility in the world, would have a leadership position in that study.

For Peter Houghton, every day of the last seven years has been what he calls "extra life." He has written books on the subject and around the world he has campaigned passionately to help people with various kinds of life-extending medical devices adapt to their dependency on technology and make the most of the additional years they are fortunate to have.

“The gift of life is the best thing anyone can give. Life is never easy. It is full of battles and adventures for us all, thank God. It is how we know we are alive,” said Peter. “Texas Heart has, over the years, given hope to many thousands who would have died too early from a miserable, debilitating disease. Just to open the possibility of long term resolution of a previously incurable condition is to me to exercise the gift of God and a little miracle on its own.”

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The Texas Heart Institute, founded by world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Denton A. Cooley in 1962, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastating toll of cardiovascular disease through innovative and progressive programs in research, education and improved patient care. Together with its clinical partner, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, it has been ranked among the top ten cardiovascular centers in the United States by U.S. News & World Report’s annual guide to “America’s Best Hospitals” for the past 16 years. The Texas Heart Institute is also affiliated with the University of Texas (UT) System, which promotes collaboration in cardiovascular research and education among UT and THI faculty at the Texas Heart Institute and other UT components. For more information about the Institute, please visit www.texasheart.org.

Contact:
Kathy Watson
Texas Heart Institute
832-355-6569
kwatson@heart.thi.tmc.edu