4 months ago
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When Calvin Jones and his wife Euphemia made the trip from Warren to Little Rock to meet Dr. John Ransom, Jones was pretty sick. He was in serious enough condition that Ransom said some type of action had to be taken immediately.
"Mr. Jones was pretty much bed ridden, he was on continuous IV medication to support his blood pressure and his heart function uh had no quality of life, and his life expectancy could be measured within a matter of days or weeks without either a transplant or some sort of assist device," says Ransom.
Since finding a donor heart within weeks is rare, Ransom suggested a ventricular assist device called a HeartMate II, something Jones wasn't real sure about. "I was scared to death about what they were telling me about a heart pump - heart pump? What do I need a heart pump for?"
The V.A.D pump helps restore the circulation of blood flow to the body. It does not replace your own heart. Its original purpose was to help keep patients alive and out of the hospital while they waited for a donor heart.
Jones says he talked to other people who had them and in October he got one of his own. He says he could immediately tell a difference in how he felt. "Before the procedure, before the HeartMate II I couldn't walk from here to that wall."
Jones says every time he came to Little Rock for a check-up they would ask him if he was ready to get on the list for a transplant, and every time he would always promise them an answer the next visit. Now, Jones has another option. In January, the FDA approved the HeartMate II as destination therapy, meaning it is now Jones' choice if he wants to get a transplant or live the rest of his life with an assist device.
It wasn't a tough choice for Jones. "I'm keeping this."
Ransom says this also gives new hope to some patients who don't qualify for a transplant but could gain extra years to their lives with the help of the HeartMate II.
