In November 2003, Jim Braid, a 57-year-old man, became the sixth patient in the U.K. to receive the Jarvik 2000 FlowMaker® for lifetime use. Mr. Braid had only weeks to live when doctors at Royal Brompton hospital offered him the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial of the Jarvik 2000.
Heart failure patients who are too old or too sick to be eligible for a heart transplant may, like Mr. Braid, be eligible to participate in clinical research. Mr. Braid wanted both more time with his wife and daughter and to “contribute to something positive,” so he opted in. He became the subject of a BBC documentary on British heart surgeon Dr. Stephen Westaby — part of the series entitled Your Life in Their Hands. (Photo © 2003, Royal Brompton Hospital.)
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