ROCHESTER, MN--In hopes of avoiding a risky and painful heart transplant, a Mason City man has put his health and life in the hands of the Mayo Clinic, and a new blood treatment to hopefully heal his heart.
"You're only number two here?"
"Right, but I trust them they know what they're doing here so..."
These hands have built a lot in North Iowa, and now instead of a hammer they clutch onto a stress reliever.
Cardiomyopathy Patient Don Higgins says, "I went from you know, so active, going 200mph... All of a sudden it just changed immediately".
This man, born and raised in Mason City has now been spending a lot of time at the Mayo Clinic.
Don says, "They think I live up here now".
In 2010 Don Higgins was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.
After drug therapies didn't help, he and his cardiologist started exploring a new approach.
Mayo Clinic Medical Director for the Apheresis Therapy Unit Dr. Jeffrey Winters says, "Their heart is continuing to function better, its showing improvement over that whole period of time. So I'm hoping with this device that we'll see similar findings".
The system works to purify Don's blood.
The blood is taken out and then the plasma is separated from the cells and antibodies that have been attacking his heart, making it too difficult for it to repair itself.
Once the antibodies are weeded out, the blood goes back into Don, with the goal of avoiding a heart transplant.
Dr. Winters says heart transplants patients are, "On the list for a very long time. And some people unfortunately may never find a heart that's going to work for them".
Using a similar machine, studies were first done in Europe, and now Don is just the second person in the United States to try it.
Jessica Weldon with Mayo Validation Support Services says, "There's different standards. So the U.S. is more stringent with regulations and standards and patient safety, which is great, but it just does take a little bit longer".
Support Services works with doctors and sponsors of research and studies to keep trying innovative medicine at Mayo Clinic. This study is being done with the help of a Japanese sponsor team who are also studying the therapy.
KIMT News 3's Gwen Siewert says, "For many people the word 'hospital' carries a negative connotation. But in this room, 'hospital' means hope, not only for Don Higgins, but for others suffering with the same condition".
It takes just five treatments over two weeks, at about 90 minutes a piece. And if everything goes well, the heart actually starts to heal, giving the patient a better quality of life for one to three years. And then it could potentially be done again.
For Don, the future holds a simple request, "My heart's still pumping hopefully. But still doing what I'm doing now. I'm happy with that".
Mayo Clinic is going to start with five patients and see how they benefit from the treatment.
Then they'll treat another 15.
They are partnering with another hospital in Cleveland, and together they hope to gain FDA approval for other people, hoping for the same heart therapy.
