Wants Everyone to Know He’s ‘Feeling Great’ : Pennsylvanian With Donor Heart Goes Home

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Thomas Gaidosh, a former steelworker who was kept alive four days with a Jarvik-7 heart before receiving a transplant, went home “feeling great” Friday, one day after another Jarvik-7 patient left a hospital with a donor heart.

“I’d like to let everyone know that I’m feeling great, and I’m glad to be going home,” Gaidosh, 47, said at a news conference before leaving Presbyterian-University Hospital. The smiling Gaidosh, of Sutersville, was sporting a T-shirt that read “Presby--the beat goes on.”

Gaidosh received his Jarvik-7 on Oct. 24 and a human heart Oct. 28. Hospital officials described his recovery as steady and uncomplicated.

On Thursday, Michael Drummond, 26, left University Medical Center in Tucson 2 1/2 months after becoming the youngest person to receive a Jarvik-7 as a temporary measure.

In Hershey, meanwhile, doctors said a potent attack of bacteria and fungus killed Anthony Mandia, the first recipient of the temporary Penn State heart. Mandia, 44, died Thursday after living 11 days with the Penn State device and 17 days with a donor heart.

In Louisville, Ky., the longest-living recipient of an artificial heart, 53-year-old William J. Schroeder, remained hospitalized Friday after recently suffering a third stroke since receiving his Jarvik-7 about a year ago.