Shallotte family thankful after father’s new generation artificial heart replaced with donor heart at Duke
DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – This Thanksgiving, a North Carolina family is thankful for a new chance at life for a husband and father. Over the summer, Matthew Moore became the first person in the United States to receive a new generation artificial heart. It is designed to keep him alive until he could get a transplant. Duke surgeons performed that transplant this week.
The hospital may not sound like the perfect place to spend Thanksgiving, but it is exactly where the Moore family wants to be.
Moore experienced heart failure in June. The condition was so severe his heart stopped multiple times. He spent months at Duke Hospital where he became the first person in the country to receive a new generation artificial heart as part of a clinical trial.
“It actually functioned exactly how it was supposed to,” explained Dr. Jacob Schroder, the surgical director of the heart transplant program at Duke.
The device wasn’t meant to be permanent. It enabled Moore to go home to spend time with his wife, Rachel, and son and get strong enough for a transplant.
“H actually got in better shape, and that was really critical,” Schroder said. “The stronger you go into any big operation, the stronger you’re going to come out.”
After about four months with device, the Moores returned to Duke.
