Artificial devices earlier only helped the better working of the heart, but now the case is that the artificial devices can be a substitute for the human heart itself.
Healthcare along with technologies have evolved in a positive way, this combination has brought a lot of success and it has also made the work of the health care professionals efficient by providing a quality care to the patients.
PATIENTS WITH CARDIAC ISSUES: Previously, when a person faced issues with his heart either he gets treatment for the existing one or undergoes an operation, in case if he has a hole in his heart he gets replaced with a new one from those who got a brain injury (donor). But, now the scenario is entirely different, so many artificial means have come to cope up with those having issues with their hearts. Artificial devices earlier only helped the better working of the heart, but now the case is that the artificial devices can be a substitute for the human heart itself.
The artificial heart was first implanted in the year 1982 to a patient named Barney Clark
EVOLUTION OF ARTIFICIAL HEART
Discovery of artificial heart: Earlier the idea of artificial heart was discovered in the year 1969 where the device supported the life of a person until he got a donor to replace his heart. This type of artificial heart was considered as a supporting device.
First Implantation of artificial heart: The artificial heart was first implanted in the year 1982 to a patient named Barney Clark by surgeons at the University of Utah. The name of the artificial heart was JARVIK 7.
EXTRACORPOREAL ASSISTED DEVICE
The extracorporeal ventricular assisted device is an implantable mechanical pump that helps pump blood from the lower chamber of the heart to the rest of the body. This is for those who have weakened hearts or heart failure. As mentioned earlier, this is implanted until the patient gets a donor, doctors recommend this ventricular assisted device implantation for a long term treatment. The implantation of this device was approved after the FDA’s approval. But the permanent implantation using this device was denied as it has a lot of complications.
This device can also be carried in a bag connected with the human body. Along with the device in the bag, the bag has one extra battery that can be used in case of any improper working on the battery in use.
TOTAL ARTIFICIAL HEART: In the month of May 2020, first implantation of Carmat total artificial heart in Denmark was done. This is a therapeutic alternative for people suffering from end-stage biventricular heart failure. Carmat is basically a developer of the next-generation advanced total artificial heart.
FACTS ABOUT TOTAL ARTIFICIAL HEART: It can be noted that there have been 13 artificial heart designs used in patients, but only one has received commercial approval from the FDA. The total artificial heart pulsates and has two ventricles and four valves. This total artificial heart is similar to that of a human heart. The life expectancy rate has been increased after the invention of the total artificial heart.
CHALLENGES FACED BY THE TOTAL ARTIFICIAL HEART:
- It can possibly damage other body organs, as it is a mechanical device.
- Any external or hardcore physical activity like trekking can be dangerous.
- Since it is a mechanical device, sudden malfunctioning is possible.
- Another major issue before implanting one can be an ethical issue, whether it is correct to implant one total artificial heart substituting a natural heart. Along with this superstitious beliefs can also be imposed, saying that it is not correct to implant one.
Therefore, as a health care professional, it is not only essential to look after the needs of the patients. But also to assess the problems proactively and to bring in solutions so that it can be a major boon for future generations. If these aspects are seen in the right way, then definitely a total artificial heart can be a true human-friendly heart, helping a person to live happily ad it will encourage them to bring in a lot of technological advancements in the area of healthcare.
V.Krushna is currently pursuing my P.G degree (Master of Hospital Administration) in Christian medical college and hospital, Vellore. She has carved a niche in various platforms like Google, WHO and have written articles for scientific journals and online platforms. Her areas of interest are in the fields of Healthcare Technology, Operational planning in Hospitals, Human resource management.
