Heart patient progressing

Press, 29 February 1984, Page 8

Heart patient progressing

NZPA-AAP Sydney Patrick Gilmour, a New Zealander who has been clinically dead 33 times in the last six months, was suffering no big problem after revolutionary heart surgery, said a spokeswoman for Sydney’s North Shore Hospital yesterday. Mr Gilmour is being kept alive by a small electronic device called a defibrillator which was connected to his heart by surgeons last Thursday. Mr Gilmour, who is 65 and is from Christchurch, was only the eighth person to have this type of surgery outside the United States, where it was developed. He had a long historv of

heart disease and regularly suffered potentially fatal cardiac spasms commonly known as “sudden death.” In the 24 hours before the surgery his heart stopped 13 times and was resuscitated by electric shocks applied externally. The hosp tai spokeswoman said Mr Gilmour had walked round for a few minutes on Monday and was expected to do the same yesterday. Although he had suffered a great deal of pain since the operation, this was considered normal after heart surgery. The spokeswoman said he was expected to return to New Zealand early next week.