Recipient of AbioCor artificial heart nears anniversary

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- One year ago, Tom Christerson's life was ebbing away when he made the decision to let doctors take out his failing heart and put in a revolutionary mechanical pump.

Now, as he prepares to mark the first anniversary of his operation this week, the retired tire dealer has become a silver-haired symbol for the AbioCor artificial heart and its potential as a replacement for diseased hearts.

Of seven people implanted with the device, the 71-year-old Christerson is the lone survivor. He went home in April to Central City, Ky., resuming a quiet life with a close-knit circle of family and friends.

"I didn't have any idea it would last this long," Christerson said last week during a routine checkup at Jewish Hospital. "I thought it would give me another six months, but I've got a year so far."

The AbioCor has not skipped a beat since being inserted into Christerson's chest last Sept. 13, according to its manufacturer, Abiomed Inc. of Danvers, Mass.

The softball-sized pump, made of plastic and titanium, is powered by batteries. It is self-contained within the chest with no wires or tubes sticking through the skin, a technological leap from earlier mechanical hearts, like the Jarvik-7, that were attached by wires and tubes to machinery outside the body.

Among all artificial heart recipients, William Schroeder of Jasper, Ind., lived the longest, surviving 620 days with a Jarvik-7 until his death in 1986. The first artificial heart recipient, Barney Clark, a Seattle-area dentist, lived 112 days after receiving a Jarvik-7 in 1982.

Before Christerson's implant surgery at Jewish Hospital, he was so weak that a few steps would leave him gasping for breath. His doctors said he had only days to live. Now, Christerson strolls unassisted each morning from a parking lot to a cafe where he sips coffee and gossips with friends.

He has lived to see the birth of his first great-grandchild. Next month, he and his wife will celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary.

As the longest-living AbioCor recipient, Christerson advocates it for others.

"I'd say do it, if they were in the same shape I was in," Christerson said. "Of course, I didn't have too long to live. I wouldn't hesitate to tell them to go ahead and get it done."

The model patient

For the manufacturer, Christerson is the model patient.

"Tom Christerson's experience demonstrates the great potential of the AbioCor to save lives and provide a good quality of life," said Dr. David Lederman, president and chief executive of Abiomed.

The fifth AbioCor recipient, James Quinn, died last month after suffering a stroke. He survived 10 months.

The AbioCor gave Quinn more time with his grandchildren. He also attended church, went shopping, dined out, went home for his wedding anniversary and visited a comedy club.

Quinn was the third AbioCor patient to suffer a stroke blamed as a contributing factor to their death.

The threat of stroke prompted Abiomed to refine the pump, but it hasn't hasn't been able to assess the change yet. The first patient to receive the altered device died in the operating room at Jewish Hospital in April.