Oklahoma Man Becomes 2nd Person Ever to Leave Hospital with Artificial Heart

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Troy Golden walks out of Integris Baptist Medical Center Monday with his wife, two of his doctors and the portable device powering his artificial heart.



OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoma man became only the second patient in the country to leave the hospital using a portable driver to power his artificial heart.

Troy Golden, a pastor from Geary, left Integris Baptist Medical Center Monday morning. Surgeons removed the 45-year-old's heart in September and replaced it with a Total Artificial Heart.

Golden was born with a genetic condition that destroyed his heart. He was placed at the top of the transplant list in January, but there have been no matching donors. The device will keep him alive until a matching donor is found.

After three months in the hospital, both Golden and his wife are excited to get back to normal.

"It's just amazing. It is who he used to be instead of who he's had to be for a while. Just getting back to normal is good," said Troy's wife Darla Golden.

Usually, patients with the Total Artificial Heart cannot leave the hospital because the "heart" is kept working by a 418-pound power source known as "Big Blue." Golden was eligible for a pioneering study to test a new 13-pound, portable power source called the Freedom driver.

"If this new technology can help prolong the lives of others suffering from end-stage heart failure and I can play a small role in it, then it will all be worth it," said Golden.

INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City is among a select few institutions participating in the study, and Golden was the facility's first volunteer.
 
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