AFTER spending almost four years waiting for a new heart, Stewart Rankin is hoping an operation today to fit an artificial heart pump will make the wait a little easier.
The Newport father-of-two will undergo an operation to fit a Ventricular Assistance Device (VAD) at Harefield Hospital in Middlesex.
Mr Rankin, 59, of Wern Terrace, Rogerstone, was born with his heart the wrong way round meaning it pumps blood to the wrong parts of the body.
The former social worker joined the waiting list for a new heart in June 2006 after being diagnosed with heart failure.
He said his condition has caused him problems with his breathing and mobility for the past ten years but that he began to quickly deteriorate four months ago.
Mr Rankin was admitted to the hospital two weeks ago where staff were able to temporarily stabilise his condition through medication.
Doctors decided to provide Mr Rankin with an artificial heart, called a HeartMate II, which will take six hours of surgery to fit today.
Mr Rankin will remain on the heart transplant list as he said the average life of a VAD is about four-and-a-half years and has risks of failure.
He said it also increases the chances of blood clots and brain haemorrhages.
“It’s a temporary solution but it will give me back my life,” he said.
Mr Rankin, who has two daughters, Willow, 19, and Molly, 18, said hospital staff had to apply to the Assembly to guarantee the funds for the operation - he says around £90,000 - which took almost two weeks to come back.
But he said this does not have to happen for people from other parts of the UK.
He said: “It’s treating Welsh patients as second class citizens.”
Mr Rankin said the mortality rate for this type of operation stands at ten percent and he expects to remain in hospital for up to six weeks after the procedure.
Two batteries bring life to the patient
A VAD is a small battery-operated blood pump fitted to the heart which pushes the blood around the body to the right places.
The HeartMate II will be fitted into the right chamber of the lower part of Mr Rankin's heart with an electric cable coming out of his abdomen and connected to a control unit which will tell him of any problems.
Mr Rankin said he will wear two batteries at once, with each battery lasting six hours so he always has a 12 hour supply.
This can be worn on a belt around the waist.
How the pump will work
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