A 25-year-old man has survived for 555 days with an artificial heart in a rucksack.
Stan Larkin, from Michigan, is the first person ever to leave hospital with only a synthetic heart to keep him alive.
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University of Michigan Medical School
The father-of-three was first diagnosed with the genetic condition Familial Cardiomyopathy, which causes sudden undetected heart failure, in 2007 along with his brother Dominique.
Whilst Dominique was able to undergo a transplant almost immediately, Stan was left on the waiting list for over a year and wanted to be discharged from hospital.
Stan was first given the SynCardia in 2014, a device that is used when both sides of the heart fails.
Weighing 6kg the SynCardia is portable, but not easily, and needs to be worn 24/7 every day of the year.
With only the device to pump blood around his body whilst waiting for a donor, the father-of-three has defied doctor’s expectations and pushed the technology to the limit.
Although Stan was not able to lift his daughters, he managed to continue playing basketball, telling Michigan News: “It was an emotional rollercoaster.”
Now having recovered from his life-changing surgery, Stan wrote a blog post for the University of Michigan Health System, saying: “I got the transplant two weeks ago and I feel like I could take a jog as we speak.”
“I want to thank the donor who gave themselves for me. I'd like to meet their family one day. Hopefully they'd want to meet me."
Heart Attack Signs You Might Be Ignoring...
Heart Attack Symptoms You're Likely To Ignore(01 of07)
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(credit:Alamy)
Burning Pain In Abdomen(02 of07)
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"A dull ache or burning sensation in the epigastrum (upper part of the abdomen). Not all pain typically occurs in the centre of the chest," explains Dr Sanjay Sharma. "The blockage in the heart could cause symptoms similar to indigestion (like fullness, bloating and problems swallowing). If these symptoms longer than two days, seek medical advice." (credit:Alamy)
Aching Neck And Jaw (03 of07)
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"Severe pain or pressure sensation around the jaw and neck only could be a sign," says Dr Sanjay Sharma. "If it starts off as a mild discomfort but gradually worsens, seek medical advice immediately." (credit:Alamy)
Upper Back Pain(04 of07)
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"Pain in the centre of the upper back is often mistaken for muscular pain, but could be a 'silent heart attack' symptom," says Dr. Sanjay Sharma."If in doubt, speak to a medical professional as soon as possible." (credit:Alamy)
Breathlessness(05 of07)
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"Being suddenly short of breath, without any chest pain could be a sign of a herat attack - although it's more likely to occur in elderly people or diabetics. The chest pain could be due to the lack of oxygen to the heart muscle," says Dr Sanjay Sharma. "The breathlessness is often due to the fact that the heart is no longer pumping properly causing the lungs to fill up with fluid." (credit:Alamy)
Dizziness And Sweating(06 of07)
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Dizziness and sweating is a common sign," says Dr Sanjay Sharma. "The sweating is a normal reaction to severe pain and the loss of consciousness may be due to a drop in blood pressure the heart going into a very slow, or very fast electrical rhythm, due to the effects of lack of oxygen." (credit:Alamy)
'Pulled Muscle'(07 of07)
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"If chest pain spreads to your left or right arm, that could be another sign you're having a heart attack. We've heard from heart attack survivors who thought they'd pulled a muscle and waited until the following day before getting themselves to hospital," adds Ellen Mason, senior cardiac nurse from the British Heart Foundation. (credit:Alamy)