(Editor's note: When the world's first long-term recipient of an artificial heart emerged from surgery at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City, the critical care nurses there faced a set of challenges that were entirely new. But they were far from unprepared; on the contrary, they had laid the groundwork for precisely this event long before. The account of how they cared for their patient is important to critical care nursing for two reasons: first, because as this procedure becomes more widespread, it will be an important part of critical care; and second, because the problems these nurses encountered and the ways they solved them have a broad application to many types of critical care conditions. DCCN interviewed Helen Kee, RN, MSN, MBA assistant administrator and director of nursing service for the University of Utah Medical center, and Linda Giannelli, RN, BS, head nurse of the surgical intensive care unit at the University of Utah Medical Center, about the nursing care provided to this very special patient, and the report that follows is based on that interview. We are grateful to them and to the others at the University of Utah who, in a time of great excitement and activity, graciously shared their time and knowledge with us.)