Many science fiction films show the future of the machine's integration with man, which leads to the disappearance of the clear line between humans and robots. Today, a technique that allows patients to survive even if their hearts stop working may be an example of such a fusion.
In his article published in the New York Times, writer and doctor Haider Warayesh said that as a cardiologist, he found himself face to face with the merits and risks of such a merger.
Tens of thousands of Americans are forced to use a ventricular auxiliary device to survive, which in fact makes us take a deep look at some form of human-machine union. The left ventricular assist devices are connected directly to the hearts of patients with severe heart failure, so as to help them ensure continued circulation activity throughout the body.
The author pointed out that the transition to a stage where the machine is integrated into the human body may be a blessing to humanity and not a curse. Humans have long used artificial hips for arthritis and contact lenses to improve vision, but never before have implanted organs that can change their human experience.
Patients who have undergone a left ventricular assist device can survive even if their hearts stop working, which was unthinkable before.These devices have proven that ensuring pumping and flowing blood throughout the body is more important than a heartbeat.
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Although many patients who have undergone left ventricular assist implants can experience devastating complications such as strokes, bleeding and infections, most have noticed positive results that could not be expected before. In the near future, these devices will help people with severe heart failure to live longer than those who have undergone heart transplantation, as it has been shown that this device can extend the life of patients on average 11 years.
The experience of Momantum 3, the latest generation of blood pumping devices, shows that the survival rate for patients who underwent implantation was estimated at two years, which is very close to the survival rate for patients who underwent transplantation. heart.
In a related matter, the medical director of the Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital Mandib Mehra, who is also a professor at Harvard Medical School and the principal supervisor of the study, stated that the main goal of implantation of the left ventricular assist device in elderly patients is not just to give them extra years. But also give them a chance to enjoy life.
Thanks to improvements in these devices, his patients no longer want a chance to undergo heart transplant surgery. Over the past year, a number of researchers have developed a prototype of wireless-charging pumping devices, but the patient should wear a special jacket or belt.
This will make it easier for many patients to live with the device, and it will allow them to carry out several activities they could not do before, such as swimming. Dr. Mehra said that the next generation of these devices should be developed so that they can be fully implanted within the body just like a pacemaker, in order to forget that he is sick.