PHILADELPHIA -- When people go into heart failure, it's not unusual for doctors to implant a device that helps either the left or right side of their heart until their hearts get healthier or until a heart transplant becomes available.

But Monday, surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania announced they did one better to save a man's life -- they cut out his entire heart.

His doctors call Gary Onufer, 46, a brave medical pioneer. He has no heart in his body. His EKG is a flat line, and yet, he's alive.

Doctors cut out his heart and hooked him up to a total artificial heart, the first of its kind in the northeastern United States.

Onufer's a former fitness trainer, but suddenly he got out of breath even brushing his teeth. Still, his wife had to nag him to go to the doctor. By the time he got to Penn, both of his ventricles were failing. He was in heart failure caused by a virus to the heart -- maybe. No one is sure.

But doctors thought Onufer was the perfect patient to be the first person to use the total artificial heart.

"We actually snap these two things together with a pump. And there are two of these and these two things that are sitting inside Gary. We cut out all his sick heart. And that's what Gary bought into," Dr. R.J. Morris said.

The device works through air pressure pumping and sounding like a ticking clock to Onufer.

Hopefully, it will keep him alive until a human donor heart can be found for transplant, something for which he and his wife are praying.

"It's a tough road, but he's holding up pretty well considering," said Joan Onufer, his wife.

Fifteen percent of people die waiting for a donor heart to become available for transplant, but Gary Onufer has the advantage of being kept alive on an artificial heart until a heart becomes available for him, maybe in the next 30 days.

A fund has been set up to help the Onufers with their medical expenses.

Gary W. Onufer Heart Donation Fund
Citizens Bank
824 East Street Road 19b-0010
Warminster, PA 18974