First Artificial Heart Transplant

The medical practice of organ transplantation has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 50 years. Each year the medical profession takes more risk with decisions regarding transplants, how to allocate for organs, and most recently conducting transplants on children with adult organs. “An organ transplantation is a surgical operation where a failing or damaged organ in the human body is removed and replaced with a new one” (Caplan, 2009). Not all organs can be transplanted. The term “organ transplant” typically refers to transplants of solid organs: heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, and intestines. There are two ways of receiving an organ transplant: from a living human or an organ from a

Imagine you are laying in a hospital bed connected to multiple machines, IV’s and monitors. The only thing keeping you alive is the heart and lung machine, the team of doctors, nurses and specialist. Even with the help of modern medicine you will only remain alive as long as you stay in that hospital bed; attached to those lifesaving machines. Even with the help of those machines your life is not guaranteed. Now imagine knowing that the only thing that can save your life is a heart transplant, and having to wait your turn on a very long list to get one.

In December of 1954, the first human organ transplant was performed in the United States between identical twin brothers. In the past sixty years, organ transplantation has become the gold standard in the treatment of organ failure from a number of underlying causes with dramatic improvements to recipients’ health and quality of life (Kaserman, 2007). From the first kidney transplant in 1954 to the late 1980’s, one of the biggest advancements was the use of cadaver organs. Organ rejection was the primary concern from the transplant team who knew that the use of cadaver organs posed higher risks of failure.

Throughout time Organ transplanting has been an important medical procedure that has been present, not only in the United States, but around the globe. It is the process of surgically removing an organ from on patient and then transplanting it into the other. This practice is usually used when a recipient’s own organ fails to function properly or has

Denton A. Cooley was the first surgeon to implant an artificial heart in a patient. Haskell Karp was waiting for a heart donor and running out of time. In the surgery, Cooley worked alongside Domingo Liotta. They removed the heart sixty-four hours later when a donor heart arrived. Cooley and Liotta then replaced the artificial heart with the donor heart. The patient did not live very long. However, this is not because the heart malfunctioned. The device is now on display at Smithsonian's National Museum of American History August 3, 1962, Cooley founded the Texas Heart Institute. This

The medical industry had been achieving more in the stage of medical advancements, though they are still in the early phase. Artificial organs have been one of those achievements. Although they have achieved such, artificial organs are not perfect. Most doctors as well as patients would prefer to replace a dying organ with a compatible human organ, rather than with an artificial or animal organ. Yet due to a there being less organs donated than recipients, artificial and animal organs are becoming more common in transplants. Most of this issue is because people are unaware of how organ donation works, the organs that can be donated, how many people are in need, and the advancements that have happened in the field. Organ donation saves hundreds of lives every year, but many lives are recklessly lost due to a shortage of organ donors.

The other challenge to transplanting organs is the body’s immune system rejecting the procedure because it is unnatural to it. The body’s immune system is set up to defend the body against any foreign disease-causing bacteria, viruses and or fungi. A procedure like this is alienated by the body at time because it

Doctors and engineers have been working on another way to get organs a faster and more efficient way. Using 3D printers can help with their problem. They have worked on using a 3D printer to make organs that are a perfect match for patients. This can be very useful it can get an organ ready in a short amount of time helping the patient recovery faster as well. Organ transplants are hard to come by. One you have to be put in a waiting list, and people are usually on that list for a long while, just waiting for a perfect match to come. But sometimes it takes to long and some people die while still on the waiting list. But when an organ finally does come they feel bad because someone had to die in order for them to use it. So Dr Ali Khademhosseini is trying to use 3D printing to help solve this problem. His theory is he can make organs from a 3D printer, which can make the waiting list decrease faster and have people not have to die in order for a perfect match. 3D printers have been used to make Human cells, tissue, and blood vessels. But making something like a heart is much more difficult. Because you have to make the beating and pumps. (Mesley). There have been problems in the past that have just know started to show in some people. "Viruses aren't the only worry, and here too the past may serve as a guide. In 1956 injections of human growth hormone became a standard therapy for children failing to develop properly. The hormone was extracted from

In their research, Oterhals et al. (2013) reviewed several studies pertaining to heart valve replacement. For instance, they note that Koertke et al. (2003) had argued that heart valve replacement has become an everyday life saving practice for patients with heart valve problems. They also noted that Kvidal et al. (2000) had claimed that patients who had undergone mechanical aortic valve replacement had noticeable and obvious improved qualities of life and their life expectance was no different from those who had no valve replacement. They also reviewed a study by Nugteren and Sandau (2010), that describes how

It all began in the 18th century, “researchers experimented with organ transplantation on animals and humans” (HRSA 1). During these experimentations, errors were made and countless amounts of failures resulted. By the mid- 20th century, successful organ transplants were being accomplished by scientists and physicians. In the year 1954, the “kidney was the first human organ to be transplanted successfully” (UNOS 1). Later on in the 1960’s, more human organ transplant procedures were performed in operating rooms. Some of the many,

It may even be a choice between life or death in some cases and unfortunately there is only one heart to give. With the scarcity, it is unknown when another heart will be available and compatible to the patient most importantly. It could be in a span of days, weeks or even months. In order to make the best decision we need to look at some patient evaluations and the background on all the potential recipients. Cardiac transplantation should be reserved for those patients most likely to benefit in terms of both life expectancy and quality of life. Also, which predict long-term survival and quality of life with various therapeutic modalities over time (1-15 year span). Evaluating those potential recipients who will have an impact on the people around them and/or society. Being family, friends or those they serve in their workplace and continue to serve as an example to

A heart transplant is surgery to remove a damaged or diseased heart and replace it with a healthy donor heart. Finding a donor heart can be difficult. The heart must be donated by someone who is brain-dead but is still on life support. The donor heart must be matched as closely as possible to your tissue type to reduce the chance that your body will reject it. You are put into a deep sleep with general anesthesia, and a cut is made through the breastbone

The heart is not just a organ to pump blood, the heart (I feel) contains emotion. Emotions of things you might have done in your lifetime! In the documentary ¨Transplanting Memories¨ There were recipients of the organ and they were doing certain things they never did before. For example one lady was drinking beer eating certain foods that her donor ate, but she never ate or drank these things before the transplant.

BHT surgeries are not possible due to technical problems that may occur during the procedure.

In 1967, surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful human heart transplant on 54-year-old Louis Washkansky, a grocer living in South Africa. Despite Washkansky only living for 18 days post-surgery, Barnard was instantly boosted to worldwide fame and praised for his exceptional pioneering in the field of science. Prior to Barnard’s procedure, heart transplants had only been attempted on subhuman species such as frogs, dogs, cows, and chimpanzees.