Permanent Artificial Hearts Are Closer Than You Think
Neuroscience & DNA VideoSummary
Heart failure is a serious issue, the only current method to alleviate heart failure is through donor transplants. However, demand for hearts exceeds supply here, the heart must be healthy meaning the donor must have died in such a way that didn’t affect their heart. The ideal solution here is the artificial heart, a man-made device that would pump blood throughout the body. We’ve made great progress in this regard with two temporary artificial devices being approved for use right now, but these devices are only for limited use until a donor can be found. The next big technology here is the use of magnetic levitation in an artificial heart, this would reduce the mechanical wear that traditional artificial hearts suffer from as the moving parts that pump the blood around the body would not touch each other. The longest someone ever has survived with an artificial heart is four years. See the video below to see how brand-new technology could see that number become much bigger and save millions of lives.