Interesting Article
Thanks to my Gmail homepage, which has Discovery News on it, I saw this article and was intrigued. Here is a like to the article. Entitled "Artificial Heart OK'd by FDA" I though to myself, 'wow! This is really cool, now they can save more people who cannot have a heart transplant!' I was only partly correct, however, because in reading the article I learned some interesting new facts.
First, the heart is too big for 90 percent of all U.S. women and many men, meaning that they are probably really cramming it in there.
Second, of the 14 men this heart was tested on, 2 died from the operation, 1 never regained consciousness after the operation, and "The rest survived only an average of five months, with one exception: a man who lived 17 months, until the mechanical heart wore out."
Wait. Wore out? In 17 months? Yep. Apparently this little (or maybe not so little) electrically powered heart has a life span of about 18 months-but the battery can go an hour without charging to allow the patient to shower!
I understand that this is a new development that was just OK'd by the FDA, but I feel that maybe they should continue to develop it before they put it into use. It doesn't seem to have given itself a very good track record so far and it is entering hospitals soon. I will say though that I think it is great that they have gotten as far as they have on this invention, if the bugs are worked out an artificial heart could save many every year.
First, the heart is too big for 90 percent of all U.S. women and many men, meaning that they are probably really cramming it in there.
Second, of the 14 men this heart was tested on, 2 died from the operation, 1 never regained consciousness after the operation, and "The rest survived only an average of five months, with one exception: a man who lived 17 months, until the mechanical heart wore out."
Wait. Wore out? In 17 months? Yep. Apparently this little (or maybe not so little) electrically powered heart has a life span of about 18 months-but the battery can go an hour without charging to allow the patient to shower!
I understand that this is a new development that was just OK'd by the FDA, but I feel that maybe they should continue to develop it before they put it into use. It doesn't seem to have given itself a very good track record so far and it is entering hospitals soon. I will say though that I think it is great that they have gotten as far as they have on this invention, if the bugs are worked out an artificial heart could save many every year.
2 Comments:
In many cases, approved transplant candidates have to wait upwards of one year before they can receive their organ. There is a good chance that this heart will be used for such people, allowing them to get out of the hospital and away from a heart and lung machine while they wait for a new, organic heart. To them, even a heart that is only good for 18 months means 18 months of freedom while they wait.
Amy,
Thanks for the comment on my blog--I appreciate it. :) It is hard to say about the heart, I have to agree with your anonymous commenter wherein freedom is often something that cannot be priced, even when it might come with danger. At the ame time, it would be hard to be in that position weighing risks against benefits. I think, like with most things, people need to decide for themselves, and sometimes we let the FDA have too much control. But I'm also a proponent for Darwinism, so yeah...
How are you doing back at school?
--Londyn
Post a Comment
<< Home