Apr 4, 2008 3:31 pm US/Eastern
New Device May Help Heart Failure Patients
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Thousands of Americans suffer from a condition where their heart becomes enlarged, but a new study at a local hospital may offer new hope for these patients.
Ken Murphy was always an avid athlete until his heart started failing in 1996.
He suffers from a condition called cardiomyopathy, where the heart becomes too big. Ken Murphy says, "Heart failure is very sneaky, I wasn't aware of how I was degenerating."
That's why Ken decided to become the first patient in New England to take part in a new study at Caritas Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton.
Doctors are trying to see whether placing a new titanium mesh device over a patient's heart can help slow or stop the heart from growing larger, so it can work more efficiently.
Dr. Stephen Olenchock of Caritas St. Elizabeth's explains, "we hope this will improve the quality of life, improve symptoms and allow the patient to be more active as they were before they had heart failure."
Surgeons make a small incision in the side of the chest then use a device to place the mesh over the heart so the procedure is less invasive that other heart operations.
Ken says he has seen a big difference in symptoms since undergoing the procedure a few weeks ago.
Ken says, "I'm starting to feel better already, so we'll have to see how it goes."
Caritas St. Elizabeth's is looking for more patients who have been diagnosed with heart failure for at least six months to take part in the study. For more information, call St. Elizabeth's at 617-789-3043 or log onto
www.paracormedical.com.
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