‘Tis the season of love, the perfect time to throw caution to the wind and, as they say, “wearing your heart on their sleeve”. But Troy Golden doesn’t go in for any of that stuff. No, in a far more practical move, Troy wears his heart in his rucksack.

Troy Golden, a pastor from Oklahoma, suffers from a genetic condition known as Marfan’s syndrome which attacks the body’s connective tissue including the tissues around the aorta and heart valves.

Despite numerous operations, Troy’s heart was so bad that a traditional heart pump wouldn’t have been enough to save his life, and when time began to run out for him to find a donor organ, Troy’s cardiologist Dr Doug Horstmanshof decided to “try something different – completely replacing the heart.”

Last September, Troy became one of the few people in the world to have his entire heart replaced with a device called the Total Artificial Heart. It’s made of plastic, weighs 160 grams and is a little larger than a biological heart. It is powered by a pneumatic pump that is carried around in a rucksack.

The Total Artficial Heart is not a permanent solution. Troy’s heart’s batteries must be constantly charged, with spares constantly on stand-by. There is also serious risk of infection and clotting. But for Troy, the replacement heart is a chance to be out of the hospital and leading a semi-normal life whilst he waits for a donor, something that would be impossible without the device.

Source : BBC