It’s now been two years since patient Jeff Morgan, who has suffered a heart attack and numerous minor strokes, was implanted with a wireless combination pacemaker and defibrillator; one to keep his heartbeat steady, and the other to automatically revive him, if needed.
It was Jeff’s third major device procedure since becoming one of the first at HonorHealth Research Institute to receive a wireless defibrillator nearly 12 years ago.
Besides needing a battery replaced after about 5 years on that first defibrillator, which was replaced with a newer, slimmer one, it’s been clear sailing.
“I’m feeling good,” said Jeff, who before the pacemaker suffered from a slow heartbeat that left him struggling to keep up with his grandchildren; three of them now, ages 4, 3 and 2 months. “I couldn’t do as much as I used to. (Now), I can keep up with the grandkids better without getting wiped out.”
Jeff, who works from home as a computer data-base manager for a major pharmacy firm, is glad to have been at the forefront of the revolution in wireless heart devices.
“That’s the nice thing about (HonorHealth) devices. I don’t have that lead wire going into my heart,” he said. “This way, I just have to (periodically) get a new battery and I’m good to go.”
Jeff said he hopes the battery on his latest device will last for at least 10 years.
His devices have been implanted by Thomas Mattioni, M.D., a Scottsdale cardiologist affiliated with the Research Institute’s Cardiovascular Research Division.
It hasn’t always been easy for Jeff, recalling a significant stroke in which he passed out while sitting in a chair at home: “I fell out of my chair and fell on the floor, where my son found me.”
He was taken to the hospital and given a blood thinner after temporarily losing control of his left side for about a day. “That was definitely a wakeup call.”
Today, Jeff is grateful for the “fantastic” and “professional” care he’s received through the Research Institute.
“I’m still trying to keep on going. I want to remain active. It’s a quality of life thing,” he said.
“I have a better quality of life and get to do the things I want to do.”
As for his continued success on his clinical trial, “I hope this device helps a lot of people in the future. I want it to be successful. I’m super happy with the folks running the study.”
