1st heart attack questions....

My father in law recently had his first and only heart attack.  He is 49, in good shape (doctor stated) but has a family history of heart troubles.  The heart attack was described by the surgeon as what the textbooks call a "Widowmaker"  because of the low survival rate.  He is now in a major hospital in the process of getting the tests and paperwork done for a heart transplant that the doctor is sure that will be needed.  He has done very well with the I.V. drugs they have him on, and his pressures and heart output have been steady, still low but climbing.  The drawback is that the drugs that are working the best they don't make in a pill form, so now they are trying to find a medical cocktail that will keep him fuctioning for good, or until they decide he needs a transplant.  Now today they have mentioned possibly implanting a LVAD, left ventricular assistance device.  All I can find on these is that they were tested in british hospitals two years ago with promising results.  Has anyone had this type of heart attack, device, or transplant?  We are at a loss for information and can't seem to find any personal input on anything, so any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Celeste77]

"The left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a pump that is surgically connected to the heart in two places to replace the normal pumping function of the heart’s left ventricle.  The pump is implanted in the patient’s abdominal cavity, and the power source is the only external evidence of the device. VADs are giving many heart patients new opportunities for improved quality of life. "

If you type in LVAD on MSN's search engine and you should find tons of info.

All my best to your father in law.