More on Cardiovascular Disease Flashcards
If a patient has heart failure, and organs aren’t available for a heart transplant, or they’re not the best option, what may doctors do?
Fit an artificial heart.
What is an artificial heart?
A mechanical device that pumps the blood for a person whose own heart has failed.
Are artificial hearts permanent?
- Not usually - usually only as a temporary fix, to keep a person alive until a donor heart can be found or to help a person recover by allowing the heart to rest and heal.
- In some cases, they’re used as a permanent fix, which reduces the need for a donor’s heart.
What is an advantage of artificial hearts?
They’re less likely to be rejected by the body’s immune system than a donor’s heart. This is because they’re made from metals or plastics, so the body doesn’t recognise them as ‘foreign’ and attack in the same way as it does with living tissue.
What is a disadvantage of artificial hearts?
Surgery to fit an artificial heart can lead to bleeding and infection. 2. Artificial hearts don’t work as well as healthy natural ones - parts of the heart could wear out or the electrical motor could fail. 3. Blood doesn’t flow through artificial hearts as smoothly, which can cause blood clots and lead to strokes. The patient has to take drugs to thin their blood and make sure this doesn’t happen, which can cause problems with bleeding if they’re hurt in an accident.
How can valves in the heart become damaged or weakened?
By heart attacks, infection or old age.
What can damage to valves in the heart cause?
- May cause the valve tissue to stiffen, so it won’t open properly. 2. Or a valve may become leaky, allowing blood to flow in both directions rather than just forward, This means that blood doesn’t circulate as effectively as normal.
How can (severe) valve damage be treated?
By replacing the valve. Replacement valves can be ones taken from humans or other mammals (biological valves). Or they can be man-made (mechanical valves).
What is a risk with replacing a valve?
(Less drastic procedure than a heart transplant). Fitting artificial valves is major surgery and there can be problems with blood clots.
Why can someone that loses a lot of blood still have their heart working?
The heart can still pump the remaining red blood cells around (to get oxygen to their organs), as long as the volume of their blood can be topped up.
What is artificial blood?
A blood substitute, which is used to replace the lost volume of blood. It’s safe (if no air bubbles get into blood) and can keep people alive even if they lose 2/3 of their red blood cells. This may give patient enough time to produce new blood cells. If not, patient will need a blood transfusion.
What are scientists working on in terms of an artificial blood product?
An artificial blood product that would replace the function of the lost red blood cells, so that there’s no need for a blood transfusion.
