Pittsburgh Doctors Implanting Jarvik-7 Heart

PITTSBURGH —  Doctors on Thursday were implanting a Jarvik-7 artificial heart into a critically ill man to keep him alive until a donor heart can be found, officials said.

Thomas Gaidosh, 47, of Sutersville, Pa., went into surgery at 4 p.m. at Presbyterian-University Hospital, said spokeswoman Mary Lou Michel. The operation was scheduled to last from six to eight hours, she said.

In August, Dr. Bartley Griffith, who was leading the team of surgeons operating on Gaidosh, received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to use the Jarvik-7 for temporary implants.

Dr. Robert K. Jarvik, who developed the Jarvik-7, said in Washington that news of Thursday’s implant came as a surprise to him, and that he immediately sent a team of specialists from his company in Salt Lake City to Pittsburgh to assist in the operation.

Meanwhile, across the state at Hershey Medical Center, the first recipient of the artificial Penn State heart was reported to be free of blood clots and internal bleeding in what doctors said was a bright development in his recovery.

Anthony Mandia, 44, of Philadelphia, remained in critical but stable condition as he ended his first week with the one-pound, air-driven pump, which is sustaining his life until a donor heart can be found.

He was free of complications that arose earlier in the week, said Dr. John W. Burnside, a spokesman for the hospital.