April 15, 2004; Page VA19

by Avis Thomas-Lester

 

Six hours after getting a call that a heart was available, Micheal King was on the operating table at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

 

A medical team headed by cardiac surgeon Paul Massimiano of McLean cut open his chest, removed scar tissue that had built up around his heart-pump incision and prepared King to receive a new heart. King was put on a heart-lung machine to move blood through his body and keep his lungs functioning during the surgery.

 

In another location, a second group of medical experts was double-checking to make sure the donor's blood and tissue were compatible with King. This group, called the donor team, maintained telephone contact with Massimiano and his recipient team.

 

The goal, Massimiano said, was for the two teams to work in concert on their separate tasks before King received the donor's heart. "The donor team . . . makes sure the heart is in good shape," Massimiano said.

 

After determining that the donor heart was a suitable match, the donor group surgically removed the heart from the man, infused it with a cold preservation solution, packed it on ice and placed it inside a portable cooler.

 

Massimiano's group clamped off King's aorta and cut out his failing heart.

 

The donor heart was sutured into King's chest at the arteries, and the aorta was unclamped. Then the new heart was "warmed" with "hot shot," a warm solution with nutrients and amino acids that helps facilitate blood flow into the organ, Massimiano said.

 

The procedure took about five hours.

 

Massimiano, who has done more than 100 transplants, said he is still in awe of the procedure.

 

"It's something that we honestly don't take for granted," he said.

 

"What is so satisfying is that we know the patient is in such desperate need of a new heart that getting a transplant changes their lives dramatically."