Kolkata man lives 10 years with artificial heart

KOLKATA: On Monday, 63-year-old Ballygunge resident Santosh Dugar touched a milest-one that was both personal and medical: he completed 10 years with an artificially implanted heart, becoming one of the longest known survivors with the device in the country.

Diagnosed with end-stage heart failure, Dugar got the machine — left ventricular assist device (LVAD) — implanted on September 9, 2009 after a series of heart attacks prompted his doctor to recommend it as a last resort.Designed to mimic the functions of a biological heart, this is an alternative for patients who need a heart transplant. Dugar is among 120-odd people in India with the device.
“A heart transplant was the best option, but back then, it was difficult as transplants were rarely done. There was no certainty on when and whether at all I would get it,” Dugar told TOI.
Dugar suffered his first heart attack in 2000. He underwent angioplasty, which worked for some time. But his heart’s pumping function started failing again and he travelled to AIIMS Delhi for stem-cell therapy. That did not work for long either and he suffered a series of heart attacks and was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure. That is when interventional cardiologist P K Hazra suggested the device.
“I had complete faith in Dr Hazra but I was still worried since I didn’t know much about the implant. So, I did a lot of research to find out how it worked and whether I could live with it,” recounted Dugar. He even got in touch with a few patients abroad who had received similar implants.
HeartMate II, the mechanical heart, had then just been launched in the US and was priced at around Rs 1core. The price has now come down to Rs 54 lakh, with patients using newer versions. Dugar says the device is well worth every rupee. “I am leading a perfectly normal life, thanks to this device. Without it, I may not have survived,” he said.
Hazra says Dugar is “perhaps the longest surviving person” with an artificial heart. “So far, only two batteries had to be replaced. The machine is working perfectly fine,” the cardiologist added.
Hazra, who implanted the imported device on Dugar, explained that the device works much like a domestic water pump: “It sucks blood from the left ventricle and ejects it to the periphery.” It is implanted alongside the patient’s biological heart, below the diaphragm. It is then attached to the aorta, the main artery that supplies blood to the body, leaving natural circulation in place while providing all of the energy necessary to propel blood throughout the body. A power cable through the belly button connects the device to an external portable system — a controller and batteries.
All a patient needs to do is carry a bag containing the controller and the battery and ensure that he charges the latter on time to keep the device pumping. “The only drawback of the device is that users have to carry a bag all the time, and since the device is made of titanium, he can’t undergo MRI. But unlike a transplanted heart, this device saves patients from immunosuppressants,” said Hazra.