The Beat Goes On.In a heart-stopping science milestone, doctors implanted the world's first self-contained artificial heart in a dying man last July. Unlike earlier artificial hearts, which kept patients bedridden bed·rid·den or bed·rid adj. Confined to bed because of illness or infirmity. and wired to fridge-size power sources, the new AbioCor replacement heart fits entirely in a person's chest (see diagram). It's a heart-transplant alternative for people who would otherwise die of heart failure. Can the sleek new machine replace the human heart, a powerhouse, fist-size muscle that beats nearly 100,000 times a day without fail? "We know it can," says heart surgeon O.H. Frazier Dr. O. Howard Frazier (also known as Bud Frazier) is a distinguished heart surgeon. He is the Director of the Cardiovascular Surgical Research program and the Chief of Cardiopulmonary Transplantation at the Texas Heart Institute (THI). , who tested AbioCor in 100 calves at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston. The first patient, a diabetic (person with a blood sugar disorder) in his 50s, suffered from end-stage heart failure--his heart couldn't pump enough blood to other organs. Failed kidneys ruled him out as a heart-transplant candidate--AbioCor was his last hope. "He was facing death, and he knew it," says Dr. Robert Dowling Robert Dowling may refer to:
First, the surgeons sliced out all but the upper chambers (atria Atria The heart has four chambers. The right and left atria are at the top of the heart and receive returning blood from the veins. The right and left ventricles are at the bottom of the heart and act as the body's main pumps. ) of the patient's diseased heart, where they stitched two connective connective - An operator used in logic to combine two logical formulas. See first order logic. rings. They also stitched rings to two major blood vessels Blood vessels Tubular channels for blood transport, of which there are three principal types: arteries, capillaries, and veins. Only the larger arteries and veins in the body bear distinct names. that feed into the heart: the aorta, which sends oxygen-rich blood to the body, and the pulmonary artery pulmonary artery n. Abbr. PA 1. An artery that enters the hilus of the right lung, with branches distributed with the bronchi; right pulmonary artery. 2. , which carries blood to the lungs. The surgeons then snapped the AbioCor onto the rings, in the way a garden hose connects to a spigot. Near the man's waist, the doctors implanted devices to control the heart; they're powered by a battery pack worn on a belt. The AbioCor has now beat millions of times in the man's chest. He's recovering, but no one knows how long he'll live. If he survives two months, the trial will be deemed a success. The long-term goal: "To get patients out of the hospital and returned to meaningful lives," Frazier says. Will it happen? Stay tuned. How the artificial heart works A Kentucky man receives the experimental AbioCor, the first self-contained artificial heart. Patient's failing heart is replaced with pump. Motor turns fluid-filled sac, creating pumping action. Blood flows into one side of heart, out the opposite side. 1. Battery implant powers pump for 40 minutes. 2. External battery sends electricity to coil under skin, and charges internal battery. |
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