Whether you liked him or not, Dick Cheney is a lucky man today! Take a look at the video about his heart transplant!
Dick Cheney - 20 Month Wait for Heart Transplant is Over!
The first human to human heart transplant was performed by Christiaan Barnard, (sorry Dr. Cathy - I used Wikipedia), December 3, 1967! That was 45 years ago!!! I was 14 years old and playing 9th grade basketball (won the Lebanon County League Championship!). At that time I had no idea how fascinated I would be about the human heart!
Dr. Barnard started it all back in 1967 & today the medical expertise is amazing! Mr. Chaney has had 5 heart attacks, and at age 71 his heart was finished. He has been on the waiting list with 3100 people and at 71 is in the upper level of patients to receive a new heart.
Mr. Cheney had had a LVAD in place to keep him alive the past 20 months! What is a LVAD?
So what does this thing do? As the LVAD’s name would suggest, it’s not a replacement heart itself—the device offers the heart an assist. Specifically, if the heart is struggling to pump blood from the left ventricleto the aorta—the body’s largest artery, which disperses blood throughout the body—the LVAD can offer a mechanical bypass. Surgeons attach a pump to the left ventricle of the heart, and blood flows from there into the pump. The pump’s rotating action helps to push the blood back up into the aorta. Patients have to supplement the device by taking anticoagulant medications that prevent blood clots. Discover Magazine
Amazing device!
Between the new technology & doctors like Dr. Barnard that are game changers!
When was the first open heart surgery? Click here to find the answer!
Sorry Wikipedia again - here is my back up reference! - The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
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