The first medical drama focuses on "domestic fully magnetic levitation artificial heart"
There are more than 100 people in the country who use artificial hearts
Recently, the medical drama "All About Doctor Tang" is on the air.
The drama focuses on the cardiac surgeon, one major case per episode, and intensive medical knowledge points, which made many netizens feel that there is finally a medical drama that does not fall in love through the workplace.
"All About Doctor Tang" is also the first drama in China that pays attention to "full magnetic levitation artificial heart".
The reporter also learned that the artificial heart, a medical device that sounds full of technology, has actually come to us, and more than 100 people have used the "artificial heart" nationwide.
Intern Cao Min
Yangzi Evening News/Ziniu News reporter Yang Yan Trainee reporter Lv Yanlin
watch drama
In the drama "All About Doctor Tang", the research and development of the domestically produced "full magnetic levitation artificial heart" is one of the main lines, and its importance has been emphasized since it was first mentioned in the drama.
Dr. Tang's patient had to wait for a heart transplant to live a normal life due to heart problems. It was hard to wait for a donor, and because other patients were more urgent, the donor was distributed to others.
It was also from this time that Dr. Tang, who originally thought that as long as the operation was done, began to change, realized the importance of artificial hearts, and began to participate in the research and development of artificial hearts.
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The future has come, with an artificial heart, he is now walking like a fly
On July 1, 2021, Mr. Liu, 34, received the first artificial heart implantation operation in Jiangsu Province at the Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University). Implantation of a fluid-suspended ventricular assist device.
Before that, Mr. Liu had been severely affected by heart disease for five years. He had chest tightness, asthma, and swollen legs. In severe cases, he could not even lie down to sleep. After falling asleep, he also had apnea. He has been in the hospital many times. He was discharged from the hospital, but his condition was still deteriorating.
I got sick several times last year, and I have reached the point where I can't take care of myself.
After receiving the consultation notice from the Cardiology Department, Professor Shao Yongfeng, Director of Cardiac and Great Vascular Surgery, met Mr. Liu.
Mr. Liu has end-stage heart failure, but with a weight of 112 kg, it is almost impossible to find a suitable donor.
After consultation and discussion with multidisciplinary experts, the team of doctors finally made a careful decision to implant a ventricular assist device for Mr. Liu, that is, to install an artificial heart.
On July 1, 2021, the team of Professor Shao Yongfeng of Cardiac and Great Vascular Surgery successfully implanted an artificial heart for Mr. Liu.
After the operation, Mr. Liu had a "life-saving backpack" that could not be put down - the "small box" in the backpack was the controller of his new heart, which was connected to the body through a wire conduit, and there were two batteries on both sides.
Each battery can be used for 6 hours. Mr. Liu needs to charge his new heart every day like everyone charges a mobile phone.
Shao Yongfeng told the Yangzi Evening News/Ziniu News reporter that the "artificial heart" implanted in Mr. Liu's body is the first implantable magnetic fluid suspension ventricular assist device in Jiangsu Province. The blood pump implanted in the heart is only 180 grams.
The external controller is waterproof to minimize the impact on life.
Director Shao Yongfeng also told reporters that they have kept in touch with Mr. Liu since the operation for a year. Mr. Liu is in good physical condition. He can walk around in the community and walk like a fly.
Doctor's interpretation
Artificial heart is a "plug-in" for a heart that can't beat
At present, Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital, Nanjing First Hospital and other hospitals have completed the implantation of "artificial heart", and the lightest implanted pump body is only 90 grams.
According to Professor Shao Yongfeng, there are actually two types of artificial hearts. One is a full artificial heart, which can replace the work of the left and right ventricles, and the other is a semi-artificial heart, which assists a separate ventricle.
The left ventricular assist device has been used for the longest time and has the largest number, and the technology has been relatively mature.
Implantation of a ventricular assist device in the left ventricle is equivalent to placing an artificial pump in the heart.
Its core structure is a special centrifugal magnetic levitation blood pump system. The drive motor generates a stable rotating magnetic field, which drives the impeller rotor to rotate at a high speed. The blood will flow from the left ventricle into the auxiliary device, powered by the artificial pump, and flow out to the aorta, forming a systemic circulation.
The artificial heart can replace 90% of the heart's pumping function, allowing the heart to rest, and at the same time ensuring the perfusion of important organs such as the brain, kidneys, and liver.
"The patients who use artificial hearts are mainly patients with heart failure." Director Shao Yongfeng said that heart failure is the end stage of the development of heart disease. For most patients with heart failure, the life-saving treatment plan is to implement heart transplantation and Artificial heart implant surgery.
According to statistics, there are at least 10 million heart failure patients in my country, and more than 1 million patients with end-stage heart failure who need to undergo heart transplantation, and only about 500 heart transplantation operations are performed every year.
Due to factors such as the scarcity of donors and the difficulty of surgical operations, many heart failure patients unfortunately died while waiting for a donor for a long time.
The artificial heart is to open a "plug-in" for these hearts that have not been able to beat. After the operation, the original heart function of some patients may recover. At this time, the artificial heart can be removed again.
There are also many patients who rely on ventricular assist devices to prolong their lives and wait for a donor.
To save more patients, look forward to more "Chinese heart"
Director Shao Yongfeng told reporters from Yangzi Evening News/Ziniu News that more than 100 people have used artificial hearts in China, and the longest survival time is more than five years.
In foreign countries, the application of artificial hearts is earlier, and the current volume of artificial heart operations has exceeded that of heart transplantation.
"Artificial hearts need to be more widely used. The popularization of technology is one aspect, and the price is also a restrictive factor." Director Shao Yongfeng said that most of the current domestic artificial heart cases belong to clinical trials. If it is actually used clinically, the burden on patients The cost of the artificial heart is more than one million. Such a price will definitely restrict the general application of artificial hearts, but the field of artificial hearts is still full of hope.
The first implantable magnetic fluid suspension ventricular assist device in Jiangsu Province has set four "uniques" in China - the only pure state-owned enterprise production; the only medical-industrial combination from beginning to end; the only domestic original independent intellectual property rights; the only complete set of products domestically developed.
At present, there are many hospital heart center doctors in China participating in the research and development of domestic artificial hearts. The cost of the heart is fully expected to come down.
Coupled with medical insurance covering part of the cost, more patients will be able to use this life-saving technology.
remind
Early cardiac insufficiency is easy to ignore, regular physical examination can find signs of problems
Although cardiac insufficiency may have symptoms such as dyspnea, lower extremity and ankle edema, and even ascites and pleural effusion, due to the compensatory function of the heart, there are no obvious symptoms in the early stage of the disease, and it is easy to be confused with problems such as fatigue.
Director Shao Yongfeng reminded that if early heart problems are found, it is still necessary to call for regular physical examinations. An electrocardiogram or echocardiogram can detect signs of heart problems.
If a problem is suspected in the initial physical examination, cardiac catheterization, arterial blood gas analysis, pulmonary function, 6-minute walk test, etc. are also required.
Early detection and scientific intervention can prolong the "use period" of the heart as much as possible.