A man who became the first permanent recipient of the Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist device, now claims that he’s cold-hearted.
Peter Houghton, 68, got the mechanical ticker back in 2000. Inside is a titanium turbine the size of a C battery embedded in his dodgy left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber. The only moving part is the ‘impeller’ that moves his blood and sounds like mini-washing machine through a stethoscope. Even odder, is the titanium jack in his head for charging the device.
All the same, despite having a life returned to him and leading an active life these days, he feels he can no longer bond emotionally, even with his relatives.
