SEATTLE — Heart history was made Thursday at the University of Washington Medical Center, and a 78-year-old Marysville man is expected to live because of it.
Merle Yoney is modest about being one of the first heart patients in the U.S. to pioneer a new kind of implanted defibrillator, an electronic device that automatically jump-starts a failing heart.
Yoney's had heart trouble since the mid-70s and has had three defibrillators implanted over the years.
"This one will be number four,” said Yoney.
But his latest defibrillator is radically different. A KIRO 7 Eyewitness News crew was there as University of Washington cardiologist Jordan Prutkin slipped the smartphone-sized device just under Yoney's skin in his midsection, rather than deep in the shoulder like current defibrillators.
After the device is implanted, an electrical wire is tunneled just beneath the chest. Wires on previous defibrillators wires were implanted into a blood vessel or directly into the heart.
By avoiding the need to be in the bloodstream and in the vessels, there is a lower risk of complications, such as infections and damaged hearts, that can be fatal.
Doctor Prutkin said the new device works like an implanted version of the electric paddles medics use to stop heart attacks.
"The device is able to recognize an abnormal heart rhythm and shock it for you, said Prutkin.
Yoney’s wife, Dorothy Yoney, has worried about her husband for years. Now she's looking forward to what they've long had to avoid -- ballroom dancing.
Merle Yoney is due to head home Friday.
Hospital officials said because the new device has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it is covered under most insurance policies.