VOL. I - March 20, 2013
WHAT'S INSIDE
In review
How Do Artificial Hearts Work?
SPECIAL EDITION on Artificial Hearts
An artificial heart's a mechanical device, about the size of an orange, that is connected to your heart or implanted in your chest to help or replace a failing heart. It may have several valves, a mechanism to propel blood forward, & one or more chambers.
External power SYSTEM system
Ventricular assist device
Artificial hearts work just like a regular heart, except they're powered by an external system.
An artificial heart provides an extra ventricle to help pump blood around your body. This device's also known as a ventricular assist device. A VAD may be connected to you in various ways depending on if it needs to support the left side of your heart, the right side of your heart or both sides of your heart.
The action of the artificial heart's very similar to the action of the natural heart; though there's one huge difference: the natural heart's living muscle, while the artificial heart is plastic, aluminum, & Dacron polyester. So, the artificial heart needs some external source of "life." An external power system controls the pump function through a system of compressed air hoses that enter the heart through the chest. Since the system's cumbersome & open to infection, the use of an artificial heart's meant to be temporary.
http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/healthy/fake.html
http://www.iop.org/resources/topic/img_full_51844.jpg
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/Artifical-hearts-information-sheet.pdf
Artificial
hearts able to help
or replace failing
hearts
VAD for left
VAD for right
VAD for both sides