An Australian man lived for 100 days with an artificial titanium heart while he awaited a donor transplant, the longest period to date of someone with the technology.

The patient, a man in his 40s who declined to be identified, received the implant during surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital Sydney last November.

In February, he became the first person worldwide to leave hospital with the device, which kept him alive until a heart donor became available earlier this month.

  • @jpreston2005@lemmy.world
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    94 months ago

    Fukin’ awesome. Science! I can’t help but wonder what his pulse felt/sounded like 😶‍ Would it be just a continuous “woosh” or would it even have a “beat?” His EKG must’ve looked WILD. And knowing it can work for that long… well, who’s to say it doesn’t become the preferred option in the future!

  • Nougat
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    84 months ago

    I looked at the thumbnail and immediately imagined neatly trimmed blood hoses attached with hose clamps.

  • nickwitha_k (he/him)
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    44 months ago

    I have talked about this stuff with a cardio surgery nurse. These pumps are effective but generally require regular transfusions due to the impellers shredding the blood cells. That’s why the more complex pumps that mimic real heart motion have such interest.

  • Bob Robertson IX
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    34 months ago

    That thing looks painfully heavy! I can’t imagine how that would feel in your chest… and I’m curious to know how it is secured in the chest cavity.

    • @mholiv@lemmy.world
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      94 months ago

      You might be surprised. Titanium is very light. Similar to magnesium or aluminum. I bet such a thing weighs a similar amount to a traditional heart with blood.

        • Captain Aggravated
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          14 months ago

          Titanium aviation bolts are trippy. They’ve got a similar yellow tinge to them that the cadmium plating on standard steel bolts do, but they’re so much lighter than steel bolts.