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> first implant of an artificial heart that can beat for up to five years One: I don't think this is the first. Two: the artificial hearts I've heard of don't
by elwell 13y ago
> first implant of an artificial heart that can beat for up to five years
One: I don't think this is the first. Two: the artificial hearts I've heard of don't actually beat; it's more of a constant flow.
- dvanduzer 13y agoWikipedia says 1982 was the first. From this article: """Heart-assistance devices have been used for decades as a temporary solution for patients awaiting transplants, but Carmat's bioprosthetic product is designed to replace the real heart over the long run, mimicking nature's work using biological materials and sensors.""" edit: the headline is a little confusing, but it's currently phrased "Carmat's first," a company formed specifically to advance the state of the art in synthetic organs. Wikipedia cites this[0] account of the first transplant: """During the 112 days that he survived, he underwent four additional operations, had several episodes of bleeding, and experienced prolonged periods of confusion. He even asked to die on several occasions.""" [0]http://celebrities.healthdiaries.com/the-25th-anniversary-of-barney-clarks-artificial-heart.html http://celebrities.healthdiaries.com/the-25th-anniversary-of...
- maxerickson 13y agoThe Jarvic 7/SynCardia temporary CardioWest Total Artificial Hear and Abiocor both seem to simulate a heart beat. My brief research also suggests they are the most widely used devices (the support support system for the Jarvic 7 is down to 13 pounds!). I'm not familiar with the stuff, I just thought it was an interesting question.
- saalweachter 13y agoReading their website (http://www.carmatsa.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=33&id=371&Itemid=63&lang=en http://www.carmatsa.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&vi...), as near as I can tell, they're basically claiming to be "closest yet" to a real heart, including "auto-regulation", which I think means they're saying it can beat faster or slower as you need more or less bloodflow. The scariest thing is that they also boast a significant increase in battery life ... to 12 hours. Jesus, I get angry when my cell phone dies after 12 hours.
- ye 13y agoShows how amazing evolution is at "designing" complex efficient systems. Our hearts beat for 70-100+ years without a charge.
- Stratego 13y agoDon't know about you, but my heart needs a charge every six hours and it goes in hibernation mode every 12 hours. Can I upgrade to yours? :-)
- ye 13y agoIf your heart stops beating for 12 hours, maybe you need to talk to your doctor.
- fjcornell 13y agoPretty amazing that it was a result of a lucky mutation. I wonder what happened to the millions (billions?) of organisms that couldn't maintain a steady heartbeat?
- EliRivers 13y agoThey had their lunch eaten by the heartbeaters, and when we were done eating their lunch, we ate them :)
- tehf0x 13y agoI'm pretty sure you have to eat every so often for your heart to keep on working...
- bguillet 13y agoThis one actually regulates itself based on your physical activity. They also think it should beat faster if you're in a stressful or emotional situation (such as meeting with your crush). This is based on the fact that your blood vessels will dilate themselves and the artificial heart will compensate.