Man Given Artificial Heart

2 August 2011, 13:53 | Updated: 2 August 2011, 14:12

A 40-year-old dad is preparing to leave Papworth Hospital after receiving a totally artificial heart.

Matthew Green [pictured - right, with wife Gill and son Dylon, and below] had the surgery at the hospital, which is near Cambridge.

After becoming critically ill, Matthew faced a long wait for an organ.

However surgeons at Papworth implanted a device to pump blood around his body.

It is powered by a driver in a backpack.

The equipment means Matthew can continue waiting for a heart donor at home, and do many of the things he did before becoming ill.

Mr Green said: "Two years ago I was cycling nine miles to work and nine miles back every day but by the time I was admitted to hospital I was struggling to walk even a few yards.

I am really excited about going home and just being able to do the everyday things that I haven't been able to do for such a long time such as playing in the garden with my son and cooking a meal for my family.

I want to thank all the wonderful staff at Papworth Hospital who have been looking after me and who have made it possible for me to return home to my family."

The surgical team at Papworth was led by Doctor Steven Tsui [pictured - below].

Mr Tsui said: "At any point in time there may be as many as 30 people waiting for a heart transplant on our waiting list at Papworth, with one third waiting over a year.

Matthew's condition was deteriorating rapidly and we discussed with him the possibility of receiving this device, because without it he may not have survived the wait until a suitable donor heart could be found for him.

The operation went extremely well and Matthew has made an excellent recovery.

I expect him to go home very soon, being able to do a lot more than before the operation with a vastly improved quality of life, until we can find a suitable donor heart for him to have a heart transplant."