Story Created:
Sep 28, 2010 at 3:56 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Sep 28, 2010 at 8:44 PM CDT
An Oklahoma man recently received a Total Artificial Heart at a local hospital in Oklahoma City.
Troy Golden, 45, of Geary, OK became the first person in the region to receive the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart. The six hour surgery took place at Integris Baptist Medical Center on Sept. 15th.
Golden was born with a genetic condition, called Marfan syndrome, that was slowly attacking the connective tissue in his body. Golden was facing death if he didn’t get the mechanical heart pump.
He was nervous about the procedure, but his desire to live helped make the decision.
"There's always hope, no matter where are you at in your life, no matter what circumstance, there's always hope," said Golden.
The Total Artificial Heart is the only FDA approved device of its kind in the world.
