Brad Jurek awoke on his 49th birthday with plenty of reasons to complain: His heartbeat was indiscernible and his chest hurt where his sternum had been wired shut after surgery. Wires protruded from his belly, connecting power to the electric pump that was circulating his blood.

Yup, it was a great day to be alive.

"You've got wires hanging out of you all the time, but whatever," Jurek said. "It beats the alternative."

The Madison, S.D., man had been deemed months, if not weeks, from death when he was selected as one of the nation's first recipients of the HeartMate 3 cardiac assist device after it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. He suffered from a leaky heart valve, which was causing blood to flow back into his heart.

Jurek received the implant Sept. 20 at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, one of the leading sites for the latest round of tests.

U doctors say they're excited about this next-generation device. Prior left ventricular assist devices, or LVADs, were already prolonging life for patients for years while they waited for transplants to replace their failing hearts. But the devices sometimes fell victim to blood clots that stopped them from pumping properly. The HeartMate 3 was designed to avoid the blood clots.

If it works as intended, doctors can offer it to more patients — even those who are younger or at less risk of imminent death, said Dr. Ranjit John, surgical director of the ventricular assist program at the medical center.

The latest version is still a "bridge" to keep patients alive until a transplant, John said, but it brings the field closer to a permanent alternative.

Jurek had a construction business until heart problems emerged a decade ago and eventually left him unable to walk around, much less work. Now, he said, he feels reinvigorated. He's exercising three times a week and visiting the Mall of America and other Twin Cities landmarks until he's cleared to go home.

Life won't be the same. The LVAD is tethered to external batteries, which means Jurek can't shower without a protective case around the device and can't go swimming. But there's fishing to do, and hopefully a chance to work again.

"My life," Jurek said, "was my birthday present."

Jeremy Olson • 612-673-7744