Right now, thousands of people around the world need a donor heart. The need for a transplant of this organ arises in cases of severe heart failure, heart attack, heart defect and many other life-threatening conditions. The queue for a donor heart is always long, people have to wait for several years, and in most cases there are no guarantees of receiving one. To save the lives of patients, surgeons install artificial hearts in their bodies, which have a very complex design and cost a lot of money. Recently, scientists managed to make a breakthrough in the field of transplantology – they created a heart from titanium and successfully transplanted it into a person.
Contents
- 1 The world's first titanium heart
- 2 Why a titanium heart is better than its analogues
- 3 New achievement in cardiology
- 4 Transplantation of a pig heart to a human
The world's first titanium heart
The world's first titanium heart was created by engineers from the Texas Heart Institute and Bivacor. It is essentially a titanium pump that pumps blood around the human body using a rotor that rotates on a magnetic suspension. It does not require additional equipment, and its power is sufficient to perform the work of both ventricles of a failing patient's heart.
It is reported that the titanium artificial heart weighs little and also hardly wears out over time. It is capable of pumping up to 12 liters of blood per minute. Considering that in a calm state, a real heart pumps 5 liters of blood, the artificial organ will allow people to lead an active lifestyle. Even with exhausting sports, all parts of their body will be provided with the necessary amount of blood.
It is important to note that all of this is preliminary data. The first example of the titanium heart has already been installed in one patient. Apparently, he feels well. But he will have to be monitored for several months to make sure that the device works.
Why is the titanium heart better than its analogues
The titanium heart is the first of its kind, but there are many other artificial hearts in the world. We talked about them in detail in the article “What is an artificial heart and how does it work?” But how is the titanium device better than organs made of plastic and other materials?
First of all, the titanium heart has a simple design and does not require any additional equipment. Other devices of this kind only work if there is a 4-kilogram box with liquid for its proper functioning. There are also batteries inside it – the box is heavy and you always have to carry it with you. The titanium heart does not require any of this because it works with the help of a magnetic suspension inside.
Secondly, titanium is a very durable metal. It is safe for human health because it does not conflict with the immune system. The pump invented by engineers can operate smoothly for several years. Artificial hearts made from other materials cannot boast of anything like this – their service life is about 180 days, that is, six months.
Thirdly, the titanium artificial heart is ideal for patients with single-chamber heart failure. This is the name of the condition in which only one of the two ventricles of the heart does not perform its function effectively. With this disease, people cannot wear artificial hearts with additional equipment, so patients with this diagnosis were forced to wait in line for a real heart transplant, suffering from the consequences of their disease.
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New achievement in cardiology
Despite the fact that the titanium heart has a long service life, it cannot be left in the body for a long time. Like other artificial hearts, it will only be used as a temporary organ – as soon as it is time for a donor heart transplant, it will be removed from the body.
In the near future, surgeons want to install a titanium heart in four more patients. If the device takes root well, it will be used en masse. Thanks to this invention, thousands of lives will be saved, and this will be a very big breakthrough in the field of cardiology and medicine in general.
Report on the titanium heart transplant
Bivacor founder Daniel Timms announced that he was pleased to witness the transplantation of the world's first titanium heart into a human body. He noted that this operation would not have been possible without the courage of the first recipient and the experience of specialists from the Texas Heart Institute.
Transplantation of a pig heart to a human
In the future, the queues for donor hearts will not be as long as they are today. Scientists have long been working to use healthy hearts, which are as similar to human ones as possible, as donor organs.
The first successful transplant of a pig heart into a human body was performed in 2022. Unfortunately, the patient with the pig heart died a couple of months after the operation. But the doctors did not give up, and in September it became known about another similar operation. So, someday pigs can become full-fledged organ donors.
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But when this will happen, no one knows. Therefore, heart health should be protected, at least by listening to this advice.