A Bermudian awaiting a heart transplant has become the recipient of an experimental medical procedure in America.

The Baxter Left Ventricular Assist System -- also known as a Novacor -- has enabled substance abuse counsellor and Mid-Ocean News columnist Jerry Griffiths to return to the list of people waiting for a heart transplant.

He is the eleventh person to have the procedure since Johns Hopkins started performing it ten years ago.

"He is as healthy as one could be as one waits for a heart transplant,'' said his wife, Dee, yesterday.

Mr. Griffiths went to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 8 after suffering a series of heart attacks and he was approved for a heart transplant on November 27.

He was taken off the list when he became severely ill in May.

However the Novacor provides temporary support as a bridge to cardiac transplant.

It includes a pump and driver which are implanted in the abdominals and connect to the heart. These are attached to an external unit called the Compact Controller.

This unit includes a wearable control and power system which monitors the state of the implanted device and coordinates pump operation with the activity of the heart.

It is fully equipped with alarms and can be connected to a monitor to evaluate its function and allow for set-up and adjustment of control parameters and alarms.

The wearer of the unit can have untethered mobility through portable, wearable power packs. Even a shower kit is available although swimming is not possible.

Mrs. Griffiths said the eight-hour operation to install the Novacor was performed on June 4.

Her husband had experienced some minor difficulty with a build up of fluid in his chest, she continued, but that was being treated.

Mrs. Griffiths noted that a key difference between installing the machine and a heart transplant was that there was no fear of rejection.

There was a risk of infection, she added, but hospital staff were monitoring that constantly.

And until the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve the device, Mr.

Griffiths is bound to the hospital. When it does pass approval, the FDA will allow him to live in his apartment which is within 30 minutes of the site.

But before then the matter of insurance will also have to be sorted out, said Mrs. Griffiths.

She said if people would like to contact her husband they could reach him at Nelson 6, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.