Can an Artificial Heart Replace the Real Thing?
I found an interesting article about a new design for an artificial heart in a November issue of Time. I thought this very pertinent to our physiology class, considering we just finished a unit on cardiology and the cardiovascular system. Also, over Christmas break, in Germany I had the opportunity to learn about Ventricular Assist Devices and artificial hearts, which I found to be extremely fascinating. (I think I am most intrigued by these devices is for reasons beyond medicine and science, because the heart is often synonymous with the human sole, and associated with the capacity to love as well as having a spiritual dimension. I am completely comfortable with the idea of using a device to assist in heart function while the heart remains in the body, but I have mixed feelings about the heart being completely removed from the body. )
Regardless, I was excited to read that French researchers have developed a pioneering new artificial heart. The developers of this design say that it is the closest things yet to the human body’s natural heart. There are several new improvements to the design including two pumps, instead of one, more accurately mimicking the function of a real heart's two ventricles. As well as a system of miniature sensors that react to physical activity and automatically increase or decrease the heart rate and blood pressure, like a human heart, as we learned in class. The prosthesis also uses new composite bio-tech materials, which are made from animal tissue and chemically treated to eliminate the risk of blood clots, which is a problem that has plagued earlier alternatives. The new design also has an improved battery life in comparison to other VADs and artificial hearts on the market.
Most of the earlier Ventricular Assist Devices were designed to assist impaired function and bridge heart patients to transplant, but not to replace the heart entirely. Current artificial hearts have proved unsuccessful in modulating beating and pulse according to the physical needs of the patient.
If this new French design proves to be successful it will be a huge advancement in the field of medicine, by dramatically reducing the need for heart transplants. Currently there is an estimated 20,000 people worldwide who are in urgent need of a heart transplant each year for survival, but only about a quarter of those patients receive transplanted hearts from donors.
The project is currently in the animal testing phase, and researchers hope to begin human testing with in the next two years.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1857216,00.html
Regardless, I was excited to read that French researchers have developed a pioneering new artificial heart. The developers of this design say that it is the closest things yet to the human body’s natural heart. There are several new improvements to the design including two pumps, instead of one, more accurately mimicking the function of a real heart's two ventricles. As well as a system of miniature sensors that react to physical activity and automatically increase or decrease the heart rate and blood pressure, like a human heart, as we learned in class. The prosthesis also uses new composite bio-tech materials, which are made from animal tissue and chemically treated to eliminate the risk of blood clots, which is a problem that has plagued earlier alternatives. The new design also has an improved battery life in comparison to other VADs and artificial hearts on the market.
Most of the earlier Ventricular Assist Devices were designed to assist impaired function and bridge heart patients to transplant, but not to replace the heart entirely. Current artificial hearts have proved unsuccessful in modulating beating and pulse according to the physical needs of the patient.
If this new French design proves to be successful it will be a huge advancement in the field of medicine, by dramatically reducing the need for heart transplants. Currently there is an estimated 20,000 people worldwide who are in urgent need of a heart transplant each year for survival, but only about a quarter of those patients receive transplanted hearts from donors.
The project is currently in the animal testing phase, and researchers hope to begin human testing with in the next two years.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1857216,00.html
posted by amanda hayley at 1:22 PM
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