Ohioan is 1st in U.S. to get experimental heart transplant

FOREST, Ohio (AP) — Dean Tackett still tires easily, but he said his wife noticed an immediate change for the better this month after he became the first person in the U.S. to receive an experimental implant to improve the pumping of a damaged heart.

“The first thing she said to me was that I had color. Before I was pale and gray,” said Tackett, 64, who underwent his procedure March 11 at Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus. It had been done 15 times before, though never in the U.S.

A device about an inch-and-a- half tall shaped like an inside-out parachute was inserted into a section of Tackett’s heart damaged by a major heart attack last May that left him unable to walk even a few steps without becoming winded. The CardioKinetix VPD Implant System essentially blocks off an inefficient portion of a weakened heart chamber in hopes of relieving symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath, the research hospital said in a news release.

“We really hope people get better from this,” said Dr. Ernest L. Mazzaferri Jr., the Ohio State cardiologist who performed the surgery.

He noted that tests showed the pumping action of Tackett’s heart improved from 25 percent to the mid-30s right after the surgery. Normal is 55 percent.

However, Mazzaferri said he cautioned his patient that since Tackett was implanted as part of a safety and feasibility study, he may not see any benefit at all.

Tackett was sent home to this town 60 miles south of Toledo the day after his procedure. He acknowledged it’s too early to know his long-term prognosis, but was encouraged by the way he no longer needs to keep pausing to rest while getting ready in the morning.