How people survived for more than a year without a real heart?
 |
| Photo credit: Olivier Collet @ocollet @unsplash How a man survived for more than a year without a real heart? @healthbiztips |
@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | Health blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Linkedin | Instagram | Reddit
There was a commonality in the case of Stan Larkin and Andrew Jones -- they were both able to survive for more than a year even without a real heart. This was made possible with the aid of an artificial heart. However, contrary to the bygone massive artificial heart machine which greatly limits the patient's mobility, the devices given to these two people are portable, allowing them to lead a life close to normal.
The SynCardia Total Artificial heart is a device which takes on the pumping action of the heart. Furthermore, it is wearable and its battery life can last for several hours when unplugged, thus allowing portability. This invention has been a lifeline, buying crucial time until a suitable heart donor becomes available.
Presently, a growing number of people are being sustained with a total artificial heart, numbers by the thousands. Saving lives and bridging the gap until a heart transplant can be performed. Although, there are cases in which certain conditions can make a person a poor candidate for heart transplant, thereby, a lifetime support is necessitated.
Technology has indeed gone a long way from 1982, when a 61 year old Barney Clark became the first ever recipient of an artificial heart -- a massive device called the Jarvik-7. The enormous artificial heart meant that he was hospital bound for nearly 4 months before ultimately passing away.
