Meet Wesley Farnsworth, the man with the bionic heart

In June 2010, Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital discharged our first patient implanted with a Left Ventricular Assist Device or LVAD. The device, dubbed a bionic heart, helps a failing heart pump blood throughout the body. Mr. Wesley Farnsworth’s treatment team included Bon Secours Advanced Heart Failure Center Director Gary Zeevi, MD.

Marc Katz, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the Heart & Vascular Institute, performed the surgery, implanting the HeartMate II into a 53-year-old patient from Virginia. Dr. Katz has preformed over 50 LVAD implantations, although this was the first for the Bon Secours system.

St. Mary’s is one of only five community hospitals in the U.S. to offer implantation of the HeartMate II. LVADs formerly were only available at transplant centers.

St. Mary’s offers the LVAD to patients as either a “bridge-to-transplant” whereby it acts as a temporary heart until transplantation can take place; or as a “destination” procedure, which means that the HeartMate II becomes a functioning heart for the patient.

The LVAD device consists of an impeller, or pump, which is surgically implanted into the patient. The pump is connected to the aorta and the heart. A small control and power line runs through the abdominal wall  and connects to the HeartMate II system controller; the controller is the brains of the LVAD system. Mr. Farnsworth will also wear two batteries in an external holster which can power the device for 10 hours. When he is home, Mr. Farnsworth can plug into a power supply. In addition to notifying the local power company that he is a priority during a power outage, St. Mary’s teams worked with local EMS and first responders on how to care for Mr. Farnsworth should he have an emergency. For instance, since the LVAD provides continuous circulation, Mr. Farnsworth has no pulse.

Bon Secours is proud of Wesley Farnsworth and the journey he has taken. Caring for patients with cardiac disease is one of our many specialties. In Mr. Farnsworth’s own words, “If you think there may be something wrong with your heart, do not hesitate to see a doctor.”

To learn more about the LVAD device contact the Bon Secours Heart and Vascular Institute