Cardiac implant patient marks a milestone

TURNING 18 years old is an important milestone in any young man's life, but even more so for Yusuf Enec. This time last year, Yusuf wasn't sure he'd live to see it. However, thanks to the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart, today he has the chance to celebrate.

"Before the operation, I was so weak that even turning newspaper pages was too difficult for me," said Yusuf. "But now, I can play soccer with my artificial heart."

Yusuf was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure affecting both sides of his heart (biventricular failure) in January 2012 at Dokuz Eylul University Hospital in Izmir, Turkey. His condition deteriorated quickly and he became dependent on inotropes, which are medicines that increase the force of the heart's contractions, and his kidneys began to fail.

At 17, Yusuf became Turkey's first pediatric patient to receive the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart on Oct. 17, 2012. The surgery was performed by Prof. Oztekin Oto in order to save Yusuf's life and bridge him to a heart transplant. His recovery went well and six weeks after the implant surgery, he was switched to the Freedom? portable driver, the world's first wearable power supply for the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart. He surpassed eight months of support with the Freedom driver on July 26.

"We have observed better quality of life and lower complication rates with the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart compared to other biventricular devices," said Professor Oto. "This system is very good for pediatric patients suffering biventricular failure who have enough space for the Total Artificial Heart."