News Coverage

  • Highest bridge to human heart transplant rate of any approved heart device, 79%
  • Over 1,100 implants account for more than 300 patient years on the Total Artificial Heart

 

2013 :: 2012 :: 2011 :: 2010 :: 2009 :: 2008 :: 2007 :: 2006 :: 2005 :: 2004  

Staying Upbeat in Trying Circumstances

Daily Pilot

Dec. 31, 2012

Ezekiel "Zeke" Kendall is, by most measures, a nice guy. He's friendly, upbeat and enjoys spending time with his family. Still, you wouldn't be wrong if you called him heartless.

The Costa Mesa 19-year-old — who's awaiting the first of what could be multiple heart transplants throughout his life — had his own failing ticker removed and replaced with a SynCardia artificial device Dec. 5... read more

Artificial Heart Revitalizes Monticello Man

Times Herald-Record

Dec. 3, 2012

At home in Monticello, Daquain Jenkins is enjoying the simple pleasures of walking his kids to the bus stop, and looking forward to Christmas morning, when his three young children will rip open the presents under the tree.

Except for the backpack he carries and the chugging noise that follows him around, you wouldn't know this man was any different from anyone else.

When Jenkins, 29, left Mount Sinai Medical Center Oct. 25, the event was covered by CBS, Reuters and Fox.

In an eight-hour procedure in August, surgeons removed Jenkins' heart and transplanted a Total Artificial Heart... read more

See SynCardia press release

Hiker without Human Heart Receives Heart Transplant 607 Miles Later

University of Washington Medical Center

November 2012

The Freedom® portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S. CAUTION – The Freedom driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

TELEVISION:
NBC Seattle - Patient Talks about Artificial Heart Transplant
ABC Anchorage (AK)
CBS Juneau (AK)
CBS Anchorage (AK)
Fox Anchorage (AK)
NBC Fairbanks (AK)
NBC Juneau (AK)
NBC Anchorage (AK)
NWCN Seattle

PRINT:
The Seattle Times - Alaska Man with Artificial Heart Gets Transplant at UW

ASSOCIATED PRESS:
CBS Seattle
Fox Seattle
The News Tribune
Anchorage Daily News
Juneau Empire
Alaska Dispatch
Peninsula Clarion
The Oregonian
East Oregonian
KHQ Right Now
Kgw.com
The Republic
The Columbian
Your Alaska Link

PRESS RELEASES:
UW Medical Center - After Months on Portable Artificial Heart, Alaska Man Receives Transplant
SynCardia - Hiker without Human Heart Receives Heart Transplant 607 Miles Later

Temple to Implant Total Artificial Heart

Temple University Medical Center

Nov. 2, 2012

One of the world's most advanced medical devices for end-stage heart failure patients will soon be available at Temple University Hospital. Later this fall, Temple physicians will be certified to implant the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. Currently, only 32 adult hospitals in the United States are certified to implant the device. Initially, Temple expects to implant between five and 10 of the devices a year... read more

1st Patient in Illinois Discharged Home with the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart

Advocate Christ Medical Center

Sept. 13, 2012

The Freedom® portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
CAUTION – The Freedom driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

TELEVISION NEWS:
CBS Chicago - Man Leaves Hospital With Fully Artificial Heart In Place
WGN Chicago - Man Receives Artificial Heart - First in the State
ABC Chicago - Man Leaves Hospital with Artificial Heart
Fox Chicago
NBC Chicago

PRINT:
Southtown Star - Beat Goes On for Monee Heart Patient, His Lifeline Now Toted in a Backpack
The Reporter Online

PRESS RELEASES:
Advocate Christ - His Heart May Be Mechanical, But His Emotions Heart-Felt: 1st Patient in State
SynCardia - 1st Patient in Illinois Discharged Home with the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart

This story also aired on these TV news stations:

•ABC – Austin, TX •ABC – Beaumont, TX
•ABC – Fresno, CA •ABC – Paducah, KY
•ABC – Peoria, IL •ABC – Tyler, TX
•CBS – Boston, MA •CBS – Chico, CA
•CBS – Corpus Christi, TX •CBS – Ft. Myers, FL
•CBS – Jackson, MS •CBS – Omaha, NE
•CBS – Salisbury MD •CBS – Syracuse, NY
•ChicagoLand News •CW – Chicago
•Fox – Johnstown, PA •Fox – Roanoke, VA
•NBC – Abilene, TX •NBC – Albany, GA
•NBC – Albuquerque, NM •NBC – Alexandria, LA
•NBC – Augusta, GA •NBC – Austin, TX
•NBC – Bangor, ME •NBC – Beaumont, TX
•NBC – Billings, MT •NBC – Bluefield, WV
•NBC – Boston, MA •NBC – Cedar Rapids, IA
•NBC – Charlottesville, VA •NBC – Chicago, IL
•NBC – Chico, CA •NBC – Colorado Springs, CO
•NBC – Columbia, MO •NBC – Columbus, OH
•NBC – Columbus, MS •NBC – Corpus Christi, TX
•NBC – Davenport, IA •NBC – Detroit, MI
•NBC – Eugene, OR •NBC – Fresno, CA
•NBC – Ft. Wayne, IN •NBC – Glendive, MT
•NBC – Green Bay, WI •NBC – Greensboro, NC
•NBC – Greenville, SC •NBC – Huntsville, AL
•NBC – Idaho Falls, ID •NBC – Johnstown, PA
•NBC – Joplin, MO •NBC – Kansas City, MO
•NBC – Lake Charles, LA •NBC – Lexington, KY
•NBC – Lubbock, TX •NBC – Memphis, TN
•NBC – Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN •NBC – Mobile, AL
•NBC – Montgomery, AL •NBC – Myrtle Beach, SC
•NBC – New York, NY •NBC – Oklahoma City, OK
•NBC – Orlando, FL •NBC – Palm Springs, CA
•NBC – Philadelphia, PA •NBC – Phoenix, AZ
•NBC – Portland, OR •NBC – Raleigh-Durham, NC
•NBC – Rapid City, SD •NBC – Richmond, VA
•NBC – Rochester, NY •NBC – Rockford, IL
•NBC – Salt Lake City, UT •NBC – San Antonio, TX
•NBC – Santa Barbara, CA •NBC – Shreveport, LA
•NBC – Spokane, WA •NBC – Springfield, MA
•NBC – Springfield, MO •NBC – Syracuse, NY
•NBC – Traverse City, MI •NBC – Tri-Cities (TN-VA)
•NBC – Washington, DC •NBC – Wausau, WI
•NBC – Wichita Falls, TX •NBC – Wilmington, NC

Kentucky's 1st Total Artificial Heart Patient Receives Heart Transplant

University of Kentucky Medical Center

Sept. 5, 2012

The Freedom® portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
CAUTION – The Freedom driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

PRINT:
The Ledger-Independent - Zack Poe: New Life with New Heart
The Lexington Herald-Leader - Donor Heart Replaces Device that Kept Young Kentucky Man Alive

ASSOCIATED PRESS:
New England Cable News
ABC Atlanta
ABC Bowling Green
ABC Cincinnati
ABC Nashville
ABC Lexington
CBS Columbus
CBS Lexington
Fox Nashville
Fox San Francisco
KFVS Heartland News
NBC Johnstown (PA)
NBC Steubenville (OH)
Bowling Green Daily News
Daily Reporter
Evansville Courier & Press
Kentucky Post
The Republic
The Sacramento Bee
1340 WGAU
News Talk Radio WHIO
Western Kentucky University Public Radio
NorthJersey.com

PRESS RELEASES:
UK Medical Center - First SynCardia Total Artificial Heart Patient Receives Transplant
SynCardia - University of Kentucky Medical Center Transplants State's 1st SynCardia Total Artificial Heart Patient

Texas Heart Institute Provides Young Mother A Lifetime to Celebrate

The Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium

Aug. 5, 2012

"Every beat of my heart is precious to me," says Shawn Galloway, with uncommon zeal.

The young, suburban Houston mother's passion is hard earned, over a long battle with heart failure. She and her husband Joel, a church pastor, first learned her diagnosis at the age of 30, when she was three months pregnant with her daughter Hannah.

The pregnancy was successful, but Shawn's struggles were far from over.  Doctors at the Texas Heart Institute (THI) at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital helped her manage her disease, but she ran out of options shortly after Hannah reached the second grade.

In February 2011, she contracted a virus and her condition worsened. She was put on the transplant list.

Shawn and her husband Joel leave the Texas Heart Institute with her SynCardia Total Artificial Heart  last August. She was released with the device  just in time to take her 8-year-old daughter, Hanna, to her first day of third grade. About a month later, in September 2011, she was transplanted.

In August 2011, Shawn was one of four patients implanted in a 12-day period at THI with the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart... read more

See SynCardia press release

1st SynCardia Total Artificial Heart Implant Performed in New England

Brigham and Women's Hospital

June 21, 2012

The Freedom® portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
CAUTION – The Freedom driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

TELEVISION NEWS:
New England Cable News– Mass. Man Receives New England's 1st Total Artificial Heart
ABC Boston – Total Artificial Heart Recipient: 'Gotta Have Faith'
CBS Boston – Retired Teacher Gets New England's First Total Artificial Heart Implant
NBC Boston– Braintree Man Gets New England's 1st Total Artificial Heart

PRINT:
Boston Herald –
• Artificial Heart ‘Life Restoring’ for Braintree Teacher
• In His Own Words: Artificial Heart Recipient’s Courageous Tale
• Nurses Rally Around Ex-Coach
• Artificial Heart Transforms Alaska Man’s Life
Boston Globe – Retired Teacher Receives Artificial Heart at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Patriot-Ledger– Beat Goes on for Retired Braintree Teacher in Need of Heart
Harvard Gazette – Brigham Team Implants Artificial Heart

RADIO:
WGBH Radio News – The First Total Artificial Heart Transplant
90.9 WBUR Boston’s NPR Station– Man Gets New England’s 1st Total Artificial Heart
KNSS Newsradio 1330
1250 AM ABC News Radio

PRESS RELEASE:
SynCardia - 1st SynCardia Total Artificial Heart Implant Performed in New England

This story also aired on these TV news stations:

•ABC – Austin, TX •ABC – Greenville, SC
•ABC – Knoxville, TN •ABC – Paducah, KY
•ABC – Portland, ME •ABC – Providence, RI
•ABC – Rockford, IL •ABC – Tyler, TX
•CBS – Providence, RI •ABC – Norfolk, VA
•ABC – Portland, OR •ABC – Tyler, TX
•CBS – Anchorage, AK •CW – Boston, MA
•CW – Dallas, TX •CW – Salisbury, MD
•Fox – Boston, MA •Fox – Ft. Wayne, IN
•Fox - Providence, RI •Fox – Tulsa, OK
•Fox – Utica, NY •Fox – Wilkes Barre, PA
•NBC – Albany, GA •NBC – Albany, NY
•NBC – Alexandria, LA •NBC – Amarillo, TX
•NBC – Baltimore, MD •NBC – Charlottesville, VA
•NBC – Columbia, MO •NBC – Corpus Christi, TX
•NBC – Denver, CO •NBC – Evansville, IN
•NBC – Montgomery, AL •NBC – Philadelphia, PA
•NBC – Portland, OR •NBC – Providence, RI
•NBC – Roanoke, VA •NBC – San Francisco, CA
•NBC – Springfield, MA •NBC – Traverse City, MI
•NBC – Washington, DC •NBC – Wichita, KS
•NBC – Wilmington, NC •NBC – Zanesville, OH

A Bridge to Life: A Backpack Power Supply Runs the Artificial Heart
Chris Marshall Received from UW Medical Center

Columns: The University of Washington Alumni Magazine

June 2012

EVERYWHERE CHRIS MARSHALL GOES, he carries a small gray backpack that emits a jaunty, syncopated sound loud enough to draw the attention of people around him. It’s the cheerful beat of the 13.5-pound wearable power supply that makes his Total Artificial Heart work. It’s the sound that will accompany Marshall around-the-clock until a donor heart becomes available for transplant.

The UW Medical Center in February became the first hospital in the Pacific Northwest to discharge a patient implanted with the world’s only approved Total Artificial Heart, using the lightweight power supply dubbed the“Freedom portable driver” by SynCardia Systems, Inc. It’s a huge technological leap forward. Until recently, patients with Total Artificial Hearts had been tethered to a huge, 418-lb. machine called “Big Blue,” which confined them to the hospital while they waited for a transplant.

An artificial heart was the last thing on Marshall’s mind when he and his wife, Kathy, left their home in Wasilla, Alaska, in January, for a consult at the UW Regional Heart Center... read more

See SynCardia press release

University Of Maryland Medical Center Patient With Artificial Heart
Receives Heart Transplant

CBS Baltimore

June 11, 2012

There's a breakthrough at the University of Maryland Medical Center. For the first time ever in Maryland, a patient with an artificial heart receives a heart transplant. Grant Feusner, 64, says he's lucky to be alive. Earlier this year he was rushed to the University of Maryland Medical Center with congestive heart failure... read more

1st Total Artificial Heart Patient in Minnesota Discharged from the Hospital

May 2012

The Freedom® portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
CAUTION – The Freedom driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

TELEVISION NEWS:
NBC Rochester - An Artificial Heart and a Power Pack: A New Life

PRINT:
The Star-Tribune - New Artificial Heart Lets Patients Leave Hospital
Pioneer Press - At Mayo Clinic, Artificial Heart Now a Bridge to Transplant
Post-Bulletin - Artificial Heart Will let Michigan Patient Go Home, Await Transplant

RADIO:
Minnesota Public Radio - Man Receives First Artificial and Portable Heart in Minn.

A Gift of a Heart, from the Heart, Gives Mesa Woman New Lease on Life

East Valley Tribune

May 7, 2012

Mia Welch lived without a heart for nearly six months. But on St. Patrick's Day a little Irish luck was with her.

"My grandfather was 100 percent Irish," said the Mesa 21-year-old.

That morning she was sitting with her boyfriend in her room at the Mayo Hospital in Scottsdale when she saw a helicopter land, she said.

"I was joking with him and said, 'That's my heart,'" Welch said. "I hadn't seen a helicopter land there before. A little while later the doctor came in and asked me if the nurses told me the good news."

They found her a heart... read more

See SynCardia press release

Biosciences Growing Quickly in AZ

Arizona Public Media

May 1, 2012

Southern Arizona is quickly becoming known for its advancements in the field of biosciences.

From headquartering a leading personal health medicine factory to creating the first globally approved full synthetic heart, it is making big strides towards being an integral part of the industry.

SynCardia, a Tucson-based company producing a handmade Total Artificial Heart, is a prime example of biosciences growth in the state... read more

See SynCardia press release

Former Pro Hockey Player 1st to Receive Total Artificial Heart
in Upstate New York

University of Rochester Medical Center

April 2012

The Freedom® portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
CAUTION – The Freedom driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

TELEVISION NEWS:
ABC Rochester - Strong Hospital Makes History With Artificial Heart
CBS Buffalo - Former Sabre Receives Artificial Heart
NBC Rochester - The First Total Artificial Heart Transplant in Upstate NY
YNN Rochester - Total Artificial Heart Transplant is Region's First

PRINT:
Democrat and Chronicle - Strong Implants Artificial Heart into Ex-Rochester American
Rochester Business Journal - URMC Docs Perform Area's First Artificial Heart Transplant

PRESS RELEASES:
University of Rochester - URMC Surgeons Implant 1st Total Artificial Heart in Upstate New York
SynCardia - Retired Pro Hockey Player 1st to Receive Total Artificial Heart in Upstate New York

This story also aired on these TV news stations:

•CBS – Amarillo, TX •CBS – Buffalo, NY
•CBS – Medford, OR •CBS – Monroe, LA
•CBS – Watertown, NY •Fox – Wheeling, WV
•NBC – Elmira, NY  

Young Couple Finds Love Through Heart Transplants

ABC Houston

April 20, 2012

A Houston hospital is the last place you'd expect to find love. But, it actually happened to two young people who were waiting for heart transplants at the same time.

Linda Thibodeaux and Jordan Merecka like watching alligator shows, and they like to cook.

Linda said, "I do things my way and he does things his way, but somehow we seem to work together."

And they both have ... new hearts.

Jordan said, "She got her transplant May 11 and I got SynCardia May 22."

Their romance began when in a hospital. They were waiting for heart transplants at the same time. When a heart became available last May, it matched Linda. To keep Jordan alive, Texas Children's surgeons gave him the new artificial heart... read more

See SynCardia press release

This story also aired on these TV news stations:

•ABC – Amarillo, TX •ABC – Austin, TX
•ABC – Idaho Falls, ID •ABC – Jonesboro, AR
•ABC – Norfolk, VA •ABC – Paducah, KY
•ABC – Phoenix, AZ •ABC – Roanoke, VA
•ABC – Salt Lake City, UT •ABC – Tampa, FL
•ABC – Tyler, TX •ABC – Victoria, TX
•CBS – Clarksburg, WV •CBS – Ft. Myers, FL
•CBS – Greenville, NC •CBS – Little Rock, AR
•CBS – Lubbock, TX •CBS – Monroe, LA
•CBS – Norfolk, VA •CBS – Sacramento, CA
•CBS – Savannah, GA •CBS – Springfield, MO
•CBS – Wichita, KS •CBS – Baton Rouge, LA
•CW – Baltimore, MD •CW – Wichita, KS
•CW – Los Angeles, CA •Fox – Tulsa, OK
•Fox – Baltimore, MD •Fox – Beaumont, TX
•Fox – Cincinnati, OH •Fox – Colorado Springs, CO
•Fox – Fargo, ND •Fox – Ft. Myers, FL
•Fox – Ft. Wayne, IN •Fox – Las Vegas, NV
•Fox – Myrtle Beach, SC •Fox – Portland, OR
•Fox – Richmond, VA •NBC – Abilene, TX
•NBC – Kansas City, MO •NBC – Richmond, VA
•NBC – Waco, TX  

 

Artificial-Heart Maker Hopes to Expand Its Use

Arizona Republic

April 15, 2012

A Tucson-based company plans to expand use of its Total Artificial Heart, now available only to keep heart-failure patients alive until they can get a heart transplant.

SynCardia Systems Inc. wants to make its device available to people who can't get heart transplants because they have cancer or other health issues that prevent them from being candidates for the limited supply of donor hearts.

The Food and Drug Administration last week approved a humanitarian-use device designation for SynCardia's artificial heart. The company also needs FDA approval of a humanitarian-device exemption, which the company believes could happen later this year, according to Don Isaacs, SynCardia's vice president of communications.

The new federal exemption would make the artificial heart available for up to 4,000 heart-failure patients each year who are not eligible for a heart transplant... read more

See SynCardia press release

FDA Expected to Approve Permanent Artificial Heart Soon

CBS Tucson

April 12, 2012

We're reaching another milestone for artificial hearts, and it's happening right here in southern Arizona. The Tucson company, SynCardia Systems, Inc., has made history with its artificial hearts and is now taking a first step toward saving more lives that were once thought lost. The Food and Drug Administration has just given SynCardia's heart a Humanitarian Use Device (HUD) designation. The next step is a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE), and at that point, up to 4,000 lives a year might be saved in the United States... read more

See SynCardia press release

University of Washington Medical Center 1st in Pacific Northwest
to Discharge a Patient Without a Human Heart

UW Medical Center

March 29, 2012

The Freedom® portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
CAUTION – The Freedom driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

TELEVISION NEWS:
Fox Seattle - Patient at UW is First in Northwest to Leave a Hospital with an Artificial Heart
ABC Seattle - Northwest's First Artificial Heart Patient Leaves Hospital
NBC Seattle - Man Leaves Hospital Without a Heart
NBC Alaska - Family of Wasilla Man Fitted with Artificial Heart in Seattle Hospital Waits for His Return
NWCN Seattle
MTN Seattle
Morning Express with Robin Meade

PRINT:
Seattle Times - Man with Artificial Heart Discharged from UW Medical Center
The News Tribune
Wenatchee World
The Bellingham Herald
Alaska Dispatch
Anchorage Daily News

RADIO:
NPR - Man Walks Out of Seattle Hospital with No Heartbeat (Just a Pump)

PRESS RELEASES:
University of Washington - UW Medical Center is First in Pacific Northwest to Discharge a Total Artificial Heart Patient
SynCardia - University of Washington Medical Center 1st in Pacific Northwest to Discharge a Patient Without a Human Heart

This story also aired on these TV news stations:

•ABC – Augusta, GA •ABC – Biloxi, MS
•ABC – Bluefield, WV •ABC – Burlington, VT
•ABC – Duluth, MN •ABC – Ft. Myers, FL
•ABC – Ft. Smith, AR •ABC – Los Angeles, CA
•ABC – Mobile, AL •ABC – Norfolk, VA
•ABC – Portland, OR •ABC – Tyler, TX
•CBS – Anchorage, AK •CBS – Cheyenne, WY
•CBS – Corpus Christi, TX •CBS – Denver, CO
•CBS – Juneau, AK •CBS – Mankato, MN
•CBS – Paducah, KY •CBS – Providence, RI
•CBS – Spokane, WA •Fox – Albany, GA
•Fox – Binghamton, NY •Fox – Birmingham, AL
•Fox – Burlington, VT •Fox – Charleston, SC
•Fox – Chicago, IL •Fox – Cincinnati, OH
•Fox – Cleveland, OH •Fox – Ft. Myers, FL
•Fox – Gainesville, FL •Fox – Green Bay, WI
•Fox – Greensboro, NC •Fox – Houston, TX
•Fox – Indianapolis, IN •Fox – Kansas City, MO
•Fox – Los Angeles, CA •Fox – Miami, FL
•Fox – Monroe, LA •Fox – New Orleans, LA
•Fox – Oklahoma City, OK •Fox – Orlando, FL
•Fox – Peoria, IL •Fox – Philadelphia, PA
•Fox – Phoenix, AZ •Fox – Portland, OR
•Fox – Rapid City, SD •Fox – Richmond, VA
•Fox – Roanoke, VA •Fox – Rockford, IL
•Fox – Salt Lake City, UT •Fox – South Bend, IN
•Fox – Tampa, FL •Fox – Terre Haute, IN
•Fox – Topeka, KS •Fox – Tucson, AZ
•Fox – Tulsa, OK •Fox – Wilkes Barre, PA
•NBC – Albuquerque, NM •NBC – Alexandria, LA
•NBC – Amarillo, TX •NBC – Anchorage, AK
•NBC – Bakersfield, CA •NBC – Bangor, ME
•NBC – Boise, ID •NBC – Buffalo, NY
•NBC – Cedar Rapids, IA •NBC – Charleston, SC
•NBC – Cincinnati, OH •NBC – Colorado Springs, CO
•NBC – Columbia, MO •NBC – Columbus, OH
•NBC – Corpus Christi, TX •NBC – Dallas, TX
•NBC – Des Moines, IA •NBC – Evansville, IL
•NBC – Fairbanks, AK •NBC – Ft. Myers, FL
•NBC – Fresno, CA •NBC – Greensboro, NC
•NBC – Greenville, SC •NBC – Harrisburg, PA
•NBC – Houston, TX •NBC – Huntsville, AL
•NBC – Johnstown, PA •NBC – Juneau, AK
•NBC – Kansas City, MO •NBC – Lake Charles, LA
•NBC – Lima, OH •NBC – Lincoln, NE
•NBC – Macon, GA •NBC – Myrtle Beach, SC
•NBC – New Orleans, LA •NBC – Norfolk, VA
•NBC – Paducah, KY •NBC – Portland, OR
•NBC – Providence, RI •NBC – Sacramento, CA
•NBC – San Antonio, TX •NBC – Springfield, MA
•NBC – Spokane, WA •NBC – Terre Haute, IN
•NBC – Tri-Cities (TN-VA) •NBC – Tucson, AZ
•NBC – Twin Falls, ID •NBC – Waco, TX
•NBC – Wausau, WI •NBC – West Palm Beach, FL

Hebron Man Adapts to Life with Heart Machine

The Enquirer

March 24, 2012

Zack Poe appears at first glance to be a healthy 20-year-old.The only really indication that something is amiss is a small, portable case next to his chair that sounds almost like a dishwasher. It is Poe's constant companion and upon closer inspection, one notices tubes attached to the case extend under his shirt.

The 13-pound device, called a Freedom Driver, powers the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart that is keeping Poe alive and healthy until a donor can be found for a permanent transplant.

To outside observers it probably seems remarkable that someone can live a relatively normal life at home without the most vital of organs, but Poe is taking it all in stride... read more

See SynCardia press release

'Heartfelt' Performance to Raise Transplant Funds for Former MCC Dancer

College Times

March 21, 2012

The Mesa Community College Dance Company's spring formal performance is packed with heart. About 40 dancers will perform March 22 though March 24 in a show dedicated to Mia Welch, a former MCC dancer who has battled congestive heart failure.

"I always said to myself if something like this happened to any of my other dancers I would have felt compelled to do the same thing because we are all a big family and we all try to help each other and pick each others spirits up," said Tina Rangel, Welch's former dance teacher and director and producer of the show. "For me, it was a no-brainer."

The performance, appropriately titled "Heartfelt," will focus on themes of the heart with dances titled "Eat Your Heart Out," "Listen to Your Heart" and "A Change of Heart."

At age 21, Welch knows better than most what it means to have a change of heart. Since her second semester of dance at MCC, Welch has relied on an enlarged heart damaged by a virus and an artificial heart kept in a15-pound backpack.

On Sunday, Welch welcomed a more permanent change — a life-saving heart transplant... read more

See SynCardia press release

1st SynCardia Total Artificial Heart Patient in Kentucky Discharged Home

University of Kentucky Medical Center

March 21, 2012

The Freedom® portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
CAUTION – The Freedom driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

TELEVISION NEWS:
ABC Lexington - UK First In State To Implant Total Artificial Heart

PRINT:
Kentucky Ledger-Independent – Heartfelt Thanks
Lexington Herald Leader - UK Implants New Type of Artificial Heart in 20-Year-Old

RADIO:
Kentucky Public Radio - Artificial Heart Implanted at UK Hospital
WUKY Public Radio - Patient Receives First Artificial Heart in Kentucky

PRESS RELEASES:
UK Medical Center - UK First in Kentucky to Implant SynCardia Total Artificial Heart
SynCardia - University of Kentucky Medical Center Discharges State's 1st SynCardia Total Artificial Heart Patient

ASSOCIATED PRESS:
WZTV FOX17
WOWK-TV
WAVE 3 News
WSMV Channel 4
Fox 19
WDRB 41 Louisville
Local12.com

This story also aired on these TV news stations:

•ABC – Atlanta, GA •ABC – Birmingham, AL
•ABC - Cedar Rapids, IA •ABC – Charlotte, NC
•ABC – Davenport, IA •ABC - La Crosse, WI
•ABC – Louisville, KY •ABC – Miami, FL
•ABC – Orlando, FL •ABC – Paducah, KY
•ABC – Philadelphia, PA •ABC – Shreveport, LA
•ABC – Tyler, TX •CBS – Cincinnati, OH
•CBS – Greensboro, NC •CBS – Huntsville, AL
•CBS – Nashville, TN •CBS – Paducah, KY 
•CBS – Spokane, WA •CW - Los Angeles, CA
•Fox – Cleveland, OH •Fox - El Paso, TX
•Fox – Evansville, IN •Fox - Ft. Myers, FL
•Fox – Fresno, CA •Fox - Kansas City, MO
•Fox - Oklahoma City, OK •NBC – Abilene, TX
•NBC – Evansville, IN •NBC – Louisville, KY
•NBC - Oklahoma City, OK  

1st Total Artificial Heart Patient Discharged Home
from Sentara Heart Hospital

Sentara Heart Hospital

March 15, 2012

The Freedom® portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
CAUTION – The Freedom driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

TELEVISION NEWS:
ABC Norfolk - Local Hospital Gives Man Artificial Heart
NBC Norfolk - Artificial Heart Lets Patients Go Home

PRINT:
The Virginian-Pilot - With New Device at Sentara, No Heart is No Problem

PRESS RELEASES:
SynCardia - 1st Total Artificial Heart Patient Discharged Home from Sentara Heart Hospital

Mesa Dancer, 21, Waits for New Heart

East Valley Tribune

March 12, 2012

"Waiting. For now, I'm just waiting," says 21-year-old Mesa resident, Mia Welch.

Pictures of grinning family and friends and photos of Welch in mid-leap line the walls of her room. Welch, tucked beneath a purple coverlet, smiles. A backpack sits in a chair next to the bed. Toiletries line the cabinet near the sink and a recliner with a blanket folded neatly sits in the corner of the room. Except for small details like the hospital bed, the handrails in the bathroom and a constant humming and thumping, it could nearly be mistaken for a college dorm room.

Except the room is in Phoenix's Mayo Clinic Hospital and the constant thumping emanating from the backpack holds a device currently acting as Welch's heart.

Congestive heart failure is not something commonly associated with young, otherwise healthy dancers, but here sits Mia Welch, waiting; she's waiting for a heart... read more

See SynCardia press release

Meet Teen Whose Life Was Saved Thanks to
the Irreplaceable Gift from Blood Donors

ABC Houston

March 9, 2012

Why do volunteers come out to donate blood during the ABC13 Annual Spring Blood Drive? They do it to save lives of children and adults. 

Jordan Merecka is the teenager who made news last year when he got one of the first total artificial hearts. But it wasn't just the mechanical heart that saved him, it was also blood donations from people like you.

Most of Jordan's FFA friends from Cywoods High School haven't seen him since he nearly died this time a year ago. Jordan went into heart failure during spring break of 2011.

I met him at Texas Children's Hospital when he was the first teenager in Texas to be kept alive with an artificial heart... read more

See SynCardia press release

Can You Build a Human Body?

BBC

March 2, 2012

Technology has always strived to match the incredible sophistication of the human body. Now electronics and hi-tech materials are replacing whole limbs and organs in a merger of machine and man.

Heart transplant waiting lists are long and some patients die before a suitable organ becomes available. Plastic hearts buy people time - the longest a patient has survived on one is three years.

The whole heart is replaced by two chambers, with valves that let blood in and out. A pump housed in a backpack pushes the blood to the heart along tubes that enter the body below the rib cage. Air is rhythmically pumped into the artificial heart, forcing out blood round the body in much the same way that a beating heart would... read more

Allegheny General Hospital Implants
Region's 1st SynCardia Total Artificial Heart

Allegheny General Hospital

Feb. 23, 2012

The Freedom® portable driver is CE approved for use in Europe and undergoing an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study in the U.S.
CAUTION – The Freedom driver is an investigational device, limited by United States law to investigational use.

TELEVISION NEWS:
CBS Pittsburgh - 63-Year-Old First Pittsburgh Recipient Of New Artificial Heart
NBC Pittsburgh - Artificial Heart A Pittsburgh First
Night Talk Pittsburgh - New Hope for Heart Patients
ABC Pittsburgh - Allegheny General Hospital Implants Artificial Heart

PRINT:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - AGH Surgeons Implant Totally Artificial Organ that Can Serve as Bridge to Transplant
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Western Pennsylvania Man Gets Latest Version of Artificial Heart
Pittsburgh Business Times - AGH Surgeons Implant Total Artificial Heart

ASSOCIATED PRESS:
MSNBC - Pittsburgh Hospital Implants Artificial Heart

RADIO:
Essential Public Radio - New Hope for Heart Patients

PRESS RELEASES:
Allegheny - Allegheny General Surgeons Perform Pittsburgh's First SynCardia Total Artificial Heart Implantation | Video
SynCardia - Allegheny General Hospital Implants Region's 1st SynCardia Total Artificial Heart

Keeping a Steady Heartbeat -- with Mechanical Help

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Feb. 19,  2012

Heart pumps are mechanical devices that can keep people with advanced heart failure alive while they wait for a heart transplant.

The devices are getting better. The left ventricular assist device, or LVAD system, may one day be smaller and completely implantable, making it a game changer, experts say, for advanced heart failure treatment.

The total artificial heart, a different device, is also getting streamlined. A version available now allows patients to go home while they wait for a heart transplant.

We talked to patients with both types and to doctors about the future of heart pump technology.

Tony Williams, 42, is near the top of the list for a donor heart. He was diagnosed six years ago.

His disease was manageable at first, but he said in "the last year, things went downhill." Williams, who lives in Henrico County, is a veteran and father of three. Heart disease runs in his family, he said, naming his father, brother and a late uncle as also affected.

In July, Williams had a total artificial heart implanted at VCU Medical Center's Pauley Heart Center... read more

Top 10 Arizona Innovations: #2 Artificial Heart

Arizona Republic

February 2012

The artificial heart, which serves as a temporary pump for patients waiting for heart transplants, was largely developed at the University of Arizona. One of the key players was Dr. Jack Copeland, who, as a University of Arizona cardiac surgeon in 1979, performed the state's first heart transplant. In 1985, he made the history books again when he became the first surgeon to use the original artificial heart, the Jarvik-7, as a temporary bridge to a heart transplant... read more

*The SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart was formerly known as the
SynCardia temporary CardioWest™ Total Artificial Heart.