Artificial Heart Woman Ready for Human Transplant

MINNEAPOLIS —  Mary Lund, the first woman to receive an artificial heart, has improved enough to become an immediate candidate for a human heart transplant, doctors said Friday.

“Were a heart to become available this afternoon, we would proceed with the transplantation this afternoon,” Dr. Marc Pritzker, spokesman for the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, said at a briefing.

Lund, 40, became the first woman to receive an artificial heart 23 days ago, when surgeons implanted a mini Jarvik-7.

The artificial heart was intended as a bridge until a human heart could be transplanted, but doctors had initially estimated that Lund would need several weeks to become strong enough for the operation.

However, during the last two weeks, her condition has improved “considerably,” and doctors want to transplant a human heart as soon as possible to avoid potential complications with the artificial device, Pritzker said.