A medical team from the University Hospital Complex of A Coruña (Chuac) has successfully carried out, for the first time in Spain, the total recovery of the heart of a one-year-old girl by temporarily implanting a state-of-the-art artificial one, reports Sergas. , manager of hospitals and public health centers in Galicia.
The patient suffered from fulminant myocarditis due to viral infection and doctors have managed to recover myocardial function through the use of a long-term artificial heart and avoiding the alternative of transplant, Sergas says, noting that it is the first case of this type recorded in Spain.
This type of infections with cardiac involvement and fulminant presentation are very rare, with an estimated incidence of one case per 100,000 patients.
The girl was admitted to the Chuac pediatric intensive care unit, where the medical team decided to implant a mechanical circulatory and respiratory assistance device capable of providing cardiac and pulmonary support.
As the heart function did not improve, Sergas indicates, the doctors resorted to implanting a long-term extracorporeal artificial heart and two months later a progressive improvement has begun to be seen.
The doctors established a protocol of “progressive disconnection of the artificial heart” to evaluate the patient’s cardiac function and, after obtaining positive information, they decided to “remove the machine,” says surgeon Carlos Velasco, who assures that the girl “will be able to wear a totally normal life.”
The “Berlin Heart” is a device that weighs about 250 grams and is placed in the child’s abdomen to pump blood from the left ventricle of the heart and from there to the aorta.
This cardiac assistance device forces the patient to remain admitted to the hospital since it requires very specific care and management.
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