Broken-Hearted is based on the shocking true story of Australian couple Peter and Prue Bartels whose lives were upended when they discovered Peter’s artificial heart valve was faulty.
Peter’s 70-degree Bjork Shiley valve was implanted in February 1982 following a history of childhood rheumatic fever and a grim diagnosis of imminent heart failure at age 21. Peter was not aware that shortly after his valve replacement procedure, two patients with identical valves would die on the same day in May 1982 at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney.
The catastrophic failure of these resulted in an audit of the manufacturer’s plant in California, and a subsequent global recall by the US Food & Drug Administration. The fallout would result in a class action against the company in the mid 1980’s but tragically not until after hundreds of patients had died.
However Peter was not formally notified of this “ticking time bomb” for at least another 10 years. By then he was married to Prue and trying to start a family.
Their focus shifted to fighting both the US manufacturers, and even some members of the local medical fraternity, in their quest for answers. Aided by a wiley Texan lawyer, experienced in litigation with the manufacturer, they were able to confirm that Peter’s valve was one of the faulty ones.
When Peter’s valve was finally explanted in 1999, it was found to have a strut fracture which would have ultimately killed him. The missing fragments are most likely lodged in his brain.
After six long years of litigation, a settlement was reached in 2006 however Peter and Prue’s lives are changed forever. The 10-year saga had put a huge strain on their health, finances, marriage and ability to have children.
Broken-Hearted provides a “warts and all” glimpse into the Bartels’ hearts and minds which will sometimes shock with its frankness. A screenplay is nearing completion and a producer being sought.
