A 65-year-old man from Quebec had a man made heart implanted inside him last month .This makes him the only living Canadian who does not have a heart beat!
“Heartmate II”, the mechanical heart was implanted inside Gerard Langevin by Dr. Renzo Cecere and Dr Nadia Giannetti in a three-hour surgery on Nov. 23, 2006.This device,is expected to function for at least a decade. It works using a turbine balanced within a magnetic field. Before the surgery, the patient was quite ill, with a very low blood pressure, said, the doctors who did the surgery. However the patient sailed through the surgery and has shown remarkable improvement.McGill University Health Centre held a news conference on December 13th to announce this incredible breakthrough. This device which consists of only one moving part inside the turbine is expected to have very little friction .This will minimise wear and tear thereby increasing the life span of the device.
The newly devised mechanical heart, ensures a continuous flow of blood .This eliminates the ever familiar heart beat that all living souls are so used to! Therefore patients using this mechanical devise will not have a measurable blood pressure either.
Mr Langevin admitted that following a heart attack,he was anxious about going through surgery. However , he is mighty glad that he went through this unique surgery that has blessed him with a new mechanical heart that promises to be as good as a transplanted heart.
. The “Heartmate II” is still being scrutinised by clinical researchers at several hospitals in the United States and Canada.
The cost of the entire procedure cost about $100,000 said the doctors.
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Source-Medindia
MST
