Undoubtedly scientific achievements, especially those made on the field of medicine medicine,
will surely determine the prosperity of human kind in the near future.
Even the slightly acquainted are likely to confer that this branch of science is developing so
rapidly that in several decades people would probably be able to choose how their children are going to look.
Apart from this brave supposition, one must admit a very important medical accomplishment performed
only some years ago, the heart transplantation. What is more, physicians and pundits had just fulfilled a l
ong- lastingly cherished dream of the human kind when the notion of another grandiose attainment was
introduced before society. Today it is already a fact people can face fully experiencing justified pride of
men’s ingenuity. 2004 was the year in which the first artificial heart was successfully
manufactured and approved by the FDA(U.S. Food and Drug Administration).
The minute device is named SynCardia CardioWest Temporary Total Artificial Heart and is made from a plastic
material called polyurethane. Each of its two ventricles is separated into two parts, an air chamber and a
blood chamber. One side of each ventricle fills up with blood and gets ejected, respectively, to the lungs
or to the rest of the body when air pressure is applied to the air chamber.
The gadget is attached to the patient’s body through several complicated manipulations.
First, surgeons remove the bottom half of the blemished organ and sew the artificial heart to the remaining
top half, called the atria. Then, tubes named drivelines are connected from the heart through the chest wall
to small console (the size of a small washing machine), which operates the device.
The artificial heart is aimed to improve blood function, as well as lung and kidney function.
It is considered to become a safety net for some patients, acting as a “bridge to transplant”
for people who do not respond to other treatments and could die from non-reversible biventricular
heart failure, and therefore make them better candidates for transplantation.
It is a bare fact that about 4,000 people only in the US await for heart transplants each year but
eventually about 2,200 donors become available.
The designers of the artificial organ aim to increase this number to a significant extent.
Of course, the device was thoroughly inspected by the experts of SynCardia before being approved by The FDA.
They studied the artificial heart in 81 patients with symptoms if severe biventicular heart failure.
According to the researches, almost 80 percent of patients having the heart implanted remained alive for 79 days,
which proved long enough to receive a donor organ.
Moreover, Professor Slepian, renowned cardiologist and president of SynCardia Systems in Tucson ,
stated that 75 to 80 percent of patients were out of bed and, in a week’s time,
the most of them were walking 100 feet wanting to get moving.
The research undoubtedly pointed out the efficiency of the artificial heart when elongating the period
through which some patients can successfully discover a donor.
It also furthered the possible use of the device as a replacement of the ill organ.
In addition, Bulgaria will definitely appear on the list of countries offering the complicated medical procedure
since it will soon become a full member of Europe .
In the country are located some of the best hospitals and clinics in Eastern Europe .
One of them, established by the famous Bulgarian cardiologist Professor Chirkov,
possesses one of the newest and improved equipments on the Balkans.
The first successful heart transplantation in Bulgaria was performed exactly in this clinic.
Furthermore, the proficiency of the Bulgarian surgeons and the perfect medical conditions can
guarantee the success of such arduous medical manipulation.
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