Experts say that they have developed a tiny device that could relieve the need for open-heart surgery for thousands of patients. Scientists at Brunel University's Institute have developed the new pump, measuring 4mm wide and 10cm long, for Bioengineering and doctors at London's.
They claim that the dual-purpose pump would be fed into an artery in the groin area and pushed up inside the body until it reaches the heart. It would then be powered by a battery pack worn on a belt they said. Explaining that not only would the device help in increasing the flow of blood to the heart, they said that it would also help to relieve the pressure on the heart by pumping oxygenated blood to the other organs in the body.
The scientists said that with this new invention the patients would be able to leave hospital within a week and get back to normal life within days. As compared to the time taken almost about 2-3 months for a patient who has undergone an open-heart surgery, as the bones of breast and muscle had to recover first. It is estimated that diseases of the heart kills more people in UK than any other condition.
The biggest advantage of this pump would be to avoid the need of any major surgery, the scientist explained. They plan to mount the new pump on a stent, a flexible mesh tube, and send it on a deflated balloon to the heart, via a small incision. They further explained that once it is in place, the pump and stent would remain while the balloon is withdrawn. The successfully installed pump may be powered wirelessly, via an external power source. They also explained that secondary to avoiding a major surgery this pump would also be easy to remove if required, in case of malfunction or if not needed any more.
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