Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by a lack of dystrophin protein in the muscles. Dystrophin stabilises the muscle structure, and its absence leads to muscle damage and wasting. This muscle wasting also affects the heart muscle, weakening the muscle which pumps blood around the body and can eventually lead to heart failure. Now, surgeons in America have implanted a pump into a 29 year old man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. They hope this will reduce the risk of heart failure and improve his quality of life.
The pump, called a "left ventricular assist device", is battery powered and helps the weakened heart muscle to pump blood around the body. It does not replace the heart. The pumps are often used in people waiting for heart transplants - to give doctors time to find a suitable donor heart. Whilst transplants are not feasible in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the doctors who implanted the pump hope it will enable their patient enjoy a better quality of life for longer. They say it may even help him to survive until other treatments become available.
With just a single case so far, this surgery is very experimental. Doctors will be monitoring how the heart and pump function; and how the pump affects the quality of life. Because of the risks - the operation requires a general anaesthetic - involved in implanting a pump, the procedure will not be suitable for all boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. However, it is possible that this first case may help doctors and researchers to develop the technology to reduce the risk of heart failure in as many boys as possible.
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