Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Turbine Charged Man!


Wow, sounds like a super hero don't it? Truth be told a few decades ago and he would have been. Turbines it seems are not the purview of jet aircraft. A pair turbine like pumps make up the centrifugal turbine heart pump developed by doctors at the Texas Heart Institute. That's right, we are talking about a blood pumping device that first off doesn't pump and if it doesn't pump, anyone fitted with just such a device will not have a pulse...weird huh? But the only reason we have a pulse is that the heart is very specialized muscle. Once a muscle contracts, to do more work, it must relax. (and it has to pick up fuel and dump off waste)

According to the Dvice blog article:
  • (the device has) been tested for quite a while on animals along with one successful human trial — with no ill effects so far, too.
  • The FDA still has to approve this technology, but it's looking like turbine heart replacements might be the next step forward in medical implants.
Check out the Device article which also contains an NPR link as well HERE

2 comments:

John said...

This brings a new meaning to the old question.... "So, whatdya have under the hood???"

"O hell, you know... Just a souped up turbine!"

Beam Me Up said...

That lends the question, who would get one for the sake of being turbine powered....Batman mayhaps?