UK Hospital Implants Artificial Heart

{Lexington, Kentucky}...Twenty year old Zak Poe of Hebron appeared at a news conference Monday at the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital after receiving a SynCardia Total Artificial Heart implant on February 10th and a second implant last Wednesday. Poe, who grew up in Maysville, was otherwise healthy before seeking treatment in January for what he thought was an ulcer. Poe is the first Kentucky recipient of the SynCardia device. UK Hospital is one of 29 U.S. centers certified to perform the procedure, which is a bridge while waiting for a donor heart. The heart can be driven with a portable device called a Freedom Driver that fits into a shoulder bag.