Michigans first beating-heart transplant offers promise for better outcomes [Video]

A new transplant procedure could be the answer to enhancing access and successful outcomes for patients in need of a new heart.

Known as a beating-heart transplant, the process reduces the times a heart is stopped as it’s moved from donor to recipient. Doing so can reduce recovery time, as well as the risk of future complications.

Dr. Hassan Nemeh, division head of cardiac surgery for Henry Ford Health, said the successful surgeries represent a significant advancement in organ transplantation and offer hope to the thousands of people awaiting heart transplants in the U.S.

One such patient was Ken Miller, 58, of Ferndale. On May 31, he became the state’s first patient to undergo the procedure, giving him a “new lease on life.”

“I think it’s simply a miracle,” Miller said.

The retired Livonia dairy worker had been hospitalized for several weeks before transplant, his heart failing from more than a decade battling cardiovascular disease.

Miller’s heart was …