TeachableMedicalNews article 07282019

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. cardiovascular system chapter – importance of the heart’s functioning
  2. cardiovascular system chapter – importance of heart valves, myocardium, conduction system for proper heart function
  3. cardiovascular system chapter – devices that replace faulty parts of the heart, or the entire heart in patients

 

This article is the work of Mallory Riggs.

 

Can a practical artificial heart fit in a backpack?

The news item:

The use of an artificial heart in a backpack was reported by Express website:

Mother carries heart in rucksack following severe heart failure

THANKS to her amazing rucksack Selwa Hussain is celebrating the New Year her family feared she would never see.

 

 

The article reports on Selwa, a law school graduate, a wife and a mother, who has a portable artificial heart.  The article describes her symptoms that lead to the diagnosis of heart failure.  The article states that a heart transplant wasn’t an option for her, so she was connected to an artificial heart, and eventually she received a portable version of it.

So, Why Do I Care??

Heart failure, a condition when the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, is not rare.   More than half million new cases are diagnosed each year, and that brings the total to over 5 million Americans who are living with heart failure in any year.

The common causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes, and some other diseases; with that many potential causes heart failure affects every corner of our population.

 

Plain English, Please!!

First, let’s talk about heart failure.  What could possibly disable the heart?  Think about what could disable a car?  It could be a dead battery, a flat tire, no cooling fluid, broken transmission, or too low oil level.  The heart is just as complex as a car, so with the heart there are many possible malfunctions as well.  Heart failure can happen because of faulty heart valves, injury or disease of the heart muscle, malfunction of the heart’s electrical signals, and bacterial or viral infections.  Poor heart function means that organs in the body don’t get enough oxygen and waste products are not removed properly.   Once the heart loses 90% of its pumping function, the only long-term solution is a heart transplant.

 

Second, let’s talk about the artificial heart.  At any given time about 4000 people are waiting for a transplantable heart, and about 1000 of them die before a heart becomes available.  The artificial heart is one of the mechanical devices that keep patients alive till that transplantable heart becomes available.  A portable artificial heart in Selwa’s backpack is used rarely, as it is not suitable for all patients.  The pack contains an electrical motor, sensor box, and pump that are powered by large batteries. Two plastic tubes are attached from the pack to the patient’s body just below their ribcage. The tubes travel from under the ribcage, up to the chest.  With the pack, patients can move around and perform everyday tasks of life. The pack gives patient’s “freedom” and normality back in their lives while waiting for a new heart.