[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 130 (Tuesday, October 2, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL TRANSPLANT OF A TOTALLY IMPLANTABLE 
                            ARTIFICIAL HEART

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ANNE M. NORTHUP

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 2, 2001

  Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
praise a pioneering medical event that took place in my district, 
Louisville, KY, on July 2, 2001. The horizons of medical possibilities 
were expanded when, at Jewish Hospital, a team of doctors led by Drs. 
Laman A. Gray, Jr., M.D. and Robert D. Dowling, M.D. successfully 
performed the world's first totally implantable artificial heart 
surgery. The doctors, supported by a team of fourteen nurses and staff, 
completed the procedure in seven hours. I am pleased to report that the 
recipient of the first ABIOMED heart, Robert Tools, is resting 
comfortably and improving steadily in his daily physical 
rehabilitation. Mr. Tools fit a precise profile that was required for 
the first recipient, and the opportunity to receive the heart was 
virtually his only chance of survival after years of struggling with 
heart disease. Three months after the surgery, we are joined by his 
doctors in being encouraged by his improving strength and mobility.
  Not only has this surgery changed the life of one man who was facing 
near certain death, but it has stretched the boundaries of medical 
possibilities for people around the world. This outstanding achievement 
would not have been possible without the teamwork and unyielding 
efforts of the doctors, researchers and medical professionals who have 
worked for over twenty years toward the goal of creating a totally 
implantable heart. In an alliance of the public and private sectors: 
Jewish Hospital, The University of Louisville and ABIOMED, Inc., came 
together to ensure that their goal was met. In doing so, they have 
created an opportunity for over 100,000 people in the United States 
alone to have access to a life-saving procedure that did not exist 
prior to this breakthrough.
  With the current shortage in the supply of organ donors, the creation 
of a totally implantable artificial heart is unmatched in its medical 
significance. I am so impressed with the bravery shown by everyone 
involved in this event--from the medical professionals to the patient 
and the patient's family. I would like to commend the team of doctors 
and researchers at Jewish Hospital, The University of Louisville, and 
ABIOMED, Inc, who worked tirelessly for so many years toward this goal. 
Furthermore, it is overwhelming to imagine the courage it must have 
taken for Mr. Tools and his family to become part of the team, and I 
thank them for their irreplaceable contribution.
  I am proud to report that just two weeks ago at Jewish Hospital, the 
second totally transplantable heart surgery was performed by Drs. Gray 
and Dowling. The doctors report that the patient, Tom Christerson, is 
tackling his recovery head-on. I am hopeful that success stories such 
as these will begin to be told at hospitals around the country. Through 
continued teamwork and support for medical research, I am confident 
that they will.
  As we move ever-forward in the field of heart medicine, I will always 
be grateful to the wonderful team in Louisville on whose shoulders the 
initial responsibility of stepping forward rested. Their efforts have 
created an unprecedented opportunity for hundreds of thousands of 
patients facing fatal heart disorders. For that I am truly thankful. I 
hope that the efforts of Drs. Dowling and Gray, Jewish Hospital, The 
University of Louisville, ABIOMED and their patients will inspire us to 
continue striving for such medical excellence.

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