Arial Donnell

Thanks to Dr. Pirk, former Czech firefighter, Jakub Halik, has been alive for about nine months with the absence of a heart and pulse. After doctors detected a tumor growing on the inside of his heart, Mr. Halik was forced to make a critical decision: Whether or not he would undergo a fairly new procedure, in which the first subject did not make it out. Ultimately, his decision panned out to be the correct choice, since he is still alive and well today.

In an eight-hour operation, Halik’s heart was removed and replaced by two, modified pumps that contain propellers to produce 10,000 rotations a minute mimicking the beating of the heart. The pumps are powered by batteries worn externally that connect to the device via a controller and flexible cable beneath the skin. Each pump performs the tasks of the right and left side of the heart. One pumps bloods to the lungs while the other pumps blood throughout the body.

This is an important procedure because it is alternative for people on the waiting list to receive a heart, as in Jakub’s case. The pumps will hopefully serve the purpose until an actual heart is available.

Works Cited

Bates, Claire. “Former Fire-fighter First Man to Live without a Pulse for SIX MONTHS Thanks to Revolutionary Artificial Heart.” Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 22 July 2013.

“Left Heart.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 May 2013. Web. 22 July 2013.