New device helps people with failing hearts

DETROIT – Two years ago, 66-year-old Detroiter John Callaway could hardly walk 300 feet without getting short of breath.

Now, after receiving an LVAD he says, "I go, at least 4 miles around the track without having to stop and then come down and then use one of the (exercise) machines." 

LVAD stands for left ventricular assist device. 

John explains it this way to people, "I tell them it's a pump for my heart. They say, 'A pump for your heart? You mean you don't have a heart?' I say, 'No, I have a heart but it's a pump underneath my heart to help my blood flow.'"

Here's how it works: heart failure means the heart doesn't pump blood effectively. To help, the LVAD, fed by a large tube that's implanted in the heart, constantly draws blood directly out of the heart and pumps it to the rest of the body. The pump is surgically implanted, but all the controls and power packs are connected by one tube that runs outside the body. The person's heart still beats, but with the assistance of the pump it barely has to do any work.

Dennis Kerrigan is an exercise specialist at Henry Ford Hospital, where John had his LVAD placed.  Kerrigan has seen significant growth in the use of LVADs.

"Most LVAD patients can get back to everyday living. They can exercise, they can improve, and they're living much longer than they used to with these devices," said Kerrigan.

In the past, LVADs were used primarily to keep people alive until a heart became available for transplant. But, because they were found to work so well, now they are being used as definitive treatment in place of a transplant. 

"A lot of patients we see may not get a transplant and the LVAD will hopefully give them an extra 5 to 10 years," said Kerrigan

John is on the list for a heart transplant, but instead of just keeping him alive, it is helping him become healthier.

For more information Henry Ford Hospital is kicking off the 5th Annual "Get Your Heart Racing" joining with NASCAR Sprint Cup Seriesâ„¢ to kick off a weekend of racing in southeast Michigan to support the Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Institute at Henry Ford Hospital. The festivities, supported by Ford Motor Co., span from downtown Detroit on June 11 to the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) June 12-14.

For more information or to purchase tickets packages, visit www.getyourheartracing.org.