A 54-year-old man has become the first heart patient in Greece to be fitted with a device designed by scientists at NASA (a titanium inflow cannula) that will support the functioning of his own heart until a suitable donor organ is found.

A team of surgeons led by Professor Panayiotis Spyrou performed the five-hour operation, which included dealing with a technical complication that almost led to a fatal hemorrhage.

“I am very pleased. The operation went well,” said Spyrou, adding that the patient, taxi driver Haralambos Nenoglou, would remain in intensive care until his post-operative condition stabilized and he adjusted to the implant. The device, guaranteed to function for about five years, gives hope to the 100 or so heart patients every year who would otherwise die waiting for a donor organ.