- cross-posted to:
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- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
In short:
A mechanical heart has been implanted in a New South Wales man who was experiencing severe heart failure.
He has become the first person in the world to be discharged from hospital with the titanium heart.
What’s next?
Doctors say the invention will likely be an alternative for donor heart transplants in the future.
I hope no software is involved.
Serious answer to a facetious reply: I’d imagine there has to be some level of software involved if it’s pulsing, even if it’s rudimentary or low level. I also wonder what it does in terms of the bodies demands such as during physically intense activities. I’d guess that it doesn’t which, along with the 4 hour battery life, probably answers why it’s a stop gap and not an alternative at this point. Still awesome though.
I watched a talk regarding a pacemaker/defibrillator incorrectly shocking a woman because she was an edge case (being younger than and pregnant). She sought help from doctors who, as you may guess, knew nothing about the software. The manufactures ghosted her when asking for information, let alone source code. Some of them are wireless, which makes it vulnerable to attack. Being in control of any software running inside our bodies is an important issue to consider.