At that time, my dad had been hospitalized with severe congestive heart failure. His ejection fraction was a mere 8 [the average adult has an ejection fraction of 55/60]. It became clear that he needed a transplant. However, due to his age, he was not eligible for a transplant [he was 68 and the cutoff to receive a donor heart was 65]. Insert the Battista Procedure here: The Battista Procedure was pioneered by Brazilian surgeon Randas Battista in 1994. It was a cardiac surgery used in end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy. It involved the removal of a portion of the viable tissue from the left ventricle in order to reduce its size [partial left ventriculectomy]. In North America, it was practiced for a short time at the Toronto General Hospital and at the Cleveland Clinic.
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| The patient, centre, with friends & family celebrating his 80th birthday |
I had been attending university in Australia & returned home for the experimental surgery [which my dad was originally very reluctant to undergo but eventually agreed to]. On a Thursday, Dr. Cusimano asked my dad if he would prefer to have the surgery on the following Monday or Wednesday. My parents discussed it & opted for the Wednesday so my mother, brother & I could sadly attend my Uncle John's funeral on the Monday. Dr. Cusimano stated that he would do the procedure on the Wednesday provided my dad was still alive.
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| My dad & I, fourteen years ago, shortly after having the Battista Procedure at Toronto General Hospital. Just ten days later, he would find himself back in heart failure & on the heart transplant list. |
The Battista procedure was not a cure but rather a bridge to a transplant. There had been four previous patients at TGH who had had the Battista Procedure. Of the five in total, my dad is the only one still living. However, after the surgery he went back into heart failure about ten days afterwards and was added to the transplant list [breaking the age guideline]. Approximately six weeks later, my dad received his life-saving transplant...and the rest is history :D
More info on the Battista Procedure can be found here:
http://www.texheartsurgeons.com/LVRsurgery.htm
http://www.medicalreports.co.cc/2009/04/batista-surgery.html
http://www.theheart.org/article/292705.do
