Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Patient Walks Out With Fully Artificial Heart
Stan Larkin was born with an inherited heart condition; arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, or ARVD, a disease that causes irregular heart rhythms. Last week, he became the first patient to walk out of University of Michigan hospital with an entirely artificial heart.
(UM patient with artificial heart)
It took a few days for 24-year-old Stan Larkin to get used to the sound of his new heartbeat, but now he barely even notices it.The pumping sounds similar to a horse's quick gallop across a cold, hard trail, and can be heard from several feet away. He gets questions about it on a regular basis, and each time he calmly answers.
"It's called a Freedom driver. My heart was too weak to pump blood through my body so I got a Total Artificial Heart and the driver pumps the blood," he explained.
Stan, of Ypsilanti, wears the 13.5-pound Freedom portable driver in a backpack and hauls it around with him 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The backpack is literally what keeps Stan alive.
The Total Artificial Heart uses the Freedom portable driver to achieve true mobility for heart patients.
The FDA approved the Freedom portable driver June 26, and Stan made history by becoming U-M Hospital's first Total Artificial Heart patient to be discharged using the device. Doctors at U-M also said he's the first patient in the Midwest to be discharged on the Freedom driver."Until recently, patients would have to stay in the hospital until they had their heart transplant. The equipment that is outside the body, which powers the device and controls the device, was not suitable for discharge. Recently they've introduced new technology that allows these patients to go home," Haft said.
"Now that he has this artificial heart, and his circulation is maintained with this mechanical pump, he is otherwise completely healthy. He's very active, very functional, and I expect that over time he's going to get stronger and stronger."
Philip K. Dick fans have been anticipating this ever since reading Dr. Futurity in 1960:
He glanced up from his work for a moment. Into the girl's chest he had plugged a Dixon pump..."Keep the people back," Parsons said, and resumed work. The throb of the robot pump gave him confidence; it had been inserted very well, and the load had left the girl's circulatory system.
Via Mlive.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 1/16/2015)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Medical ")
Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.' - Robert Heinlein, 1956
Brainoware Reservoir Computation Of Biological Neural Networks
'Head cheese. Cultured brains on a slab.' - Peter Watts, 1999.
Forward CarePod The AI Doctor's Office
'It's an old model,' Rawlins said. 'I'm not sure what to do.'
Octopus Suckers Inspire Transdermal Patches
'...a capsule which he placed against his wrist.' - Philip K. Dick, 1960.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
SpaceX Wants A Moonbase Alpha
'And he had been sent with troops, supplies and bombs to command Russia's most trusted post, the Moonbase.'
Vast Apartment Living Will Get Even More Vast
'What is your population', I asked. 'About eighty millions.'
NASA Wants Self-Driving Or Remote-Controlled Vehicles For Lunar Astronauts
'THE autobus turned silently down the wide street of Hydropole. Robot-guided, insulated from noise and cold...'
Elon Musk Says Robotaxis Will Be Ready This August, 2024
'The car had no steering wheel, and no one drove!'
Moonwalkers AI-Controlled Electric Shoes
Now that's power walking that Hugo Gernsback would have approved.
Steve Jobs: 'Capture The Next Aristotle - With AI'
'It was disturbing to think of the Flatline as a construct...'
No Tips! Robotic Food Delivery In Phoenix
'...he rewired the delivery robot so that it would serve him midnight snacks.'
Electric Catamaran 'Explorer Eco 40m' Has 'Solar Skin'
'On went the electric-yacht faster and still faster.'
Orbital Mechanics, The Liftoff, The Turnover, The Retrograde Burn
'...the huge vessel had spun, with a sickening lurch, through a complete half-circle, the instant the power was reversed.'
Harvest Power From Tears And Blinking With Smart Contact Lens
'...he realized that it was not quite a clear lens. Speckles of colored brightness swirled and gathered in it.'
Europa Clipper Plate Carries A Special Message
'...a universal cryptogram — yet it is one which can be interpreted by any intelligent creature on any planet in the Solar System!'
Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
'With a whir, the Scarab shot from the concealing shadows of the corner where it had hidden itself.'
AI Enhances Images Your Brain Sees
'I could have sworn the psychomat showed pictures almost as sharp and detailed as reality itself'
Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.'
Deflector Plasma Screen For Drones ala Star Wars
'If the enemy persists in attacking or even intensifies their power, the density of the plasma in space will suddenly increase, causing it to reflect most of the incoming energy like a mirror.'
DIY Robotic Hand Made After Loss Of Fingers
'I made them... with the fine work of the watchmaker...'
