But the supply of hearts remains very limited. In a room just off the operating theaters, Nick Mahrer is about to undergo general anesthesia. Sedated, he seems relaxed, though he says he is nervous. Surgical fellows have already cut an incision into Mahrer's chest. Grabbing hold of gleaming silver shears, Cosgrove clips Mahrer's heart wall like he might snip a piece of cardboard.
Time is short.
Cosgrove, tall and lean in white shirt and trousers, his masked face roughly resembling a beardless Abe Lincoln, races to repair the damaged valve. The valve is so stretched that blood leaks back into the heart, causing shortness of breath. Failure to repair it would eventually kill Mahrer. The heart is safe, but not if Toby Cosgrove dawdles. Cosgrove, assisted by his team, works quickly after the valve is exposed.