Alternative to Open Heart Surgery

Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in UK. Statistics show that about one in five deaths in men and one in six deaths in women are caused by heart disease. Hence scientists have engineered a mechanical heart pump to help patients suffering from heart disease. The pump is only 4mm wide and 10cm long and is mounted on a stent and fed on a deflated balloon through an incision in the groin into the upper aorta which caries blood from the heart. On the other hand conventional cardiac pumps have to be inserted with an open heart surgery. The new cardiac pump is created by Dr Ashraf Khir, from the Institute of Bioengineering at Brunel University with the help of Dr Michael Henein, of the Royal Brompton Hospital.

This allows an increased blood flow to the heart and relieves pressure on the heart. The pump is powered wirelessly via coils placed on the skin attached to an external battery pack. Dr Khir said that they were having a couple of discussions with the manufacturers and they plan to bring it to the market as soon as possible. The idea of this pump came from the observation that heart patients recuperated well if the pressure on their ventricle was reduced. Hence this pump was designed keeping in mind that it reduced pressure on the ventricle. Alison Shaw, medical spokesperson for the British Heart Foundation said that the latest technique is welcomed by all and is great benefit to the patients.