Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital recently successfully implanted a Heartmate II — a ventricular assist device that can save lives of patients with heart failure.
Read the following story from the Bangkok Post to learn more about this scientific success.
Doctor Pranya Sakiyalak, of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital at Mahidol University, performed the surgery on 61-year-old heart disease patient Veerakit Nawasinpongsuk. The patient suffered from final-stage congestive heart failure and could not undergo a heart transplant due to high blood pressure, the cardiac surgeon told journalists at the faculty on February 21.
SUCCESSFUL SURGERY
A surgical team decided to perform the Heartmate II surgery on the patient on December 19 last year, Pranya said, adding that the operation was a success.
The team of surgeons implanted the device under the patient’s own heart, with tubes connecting to the heart to pump blood to the aorta through the device that can function like the patient’s own heart for at least 10 years, Pranya said.
Electric wires connect the device to a control device that is outside the patient’s body. The control device is connected to batteries that provide eight to 10 hours of power.
SAFER OPTION
Pranya said that the decision for the surgery was supported by findings of studies around the world that compare the success of such transplants with the use of medicines to treat patients with last-stage heart failure. The findings show use of medicines has a 92 percent risk of death, while the Heartmate II survey showed only a 40 percent fatality risk, the surgeon said.
Pranya added that Heartmate II surgery has been performed on more than 10,000 patients around the world.
Exercises
Read the story. Then, decide whether the following statements are true of false.
1. Pranya Sakiyalak works for the Faculty of Science at Thammasat University.
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2. Heartmate II can function like the patient’s own heart for a period of at least 10 years.
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3. According to the story, the surgery on December 19 failed.
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4. According to findings of various studies, the Heartmate II device implementation showed a 40 percent fatality risk.
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Vocabulary
- ventricular (adj): connected with either of the two lower chambers in the heart that pump blood to the lungs or around the body
implant (v): to put something, usually something artificial, into a part of the body for medical purposes, usually by means of an operation
aorta (n): the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body
fatality (n): the fact that a particular disease, operation, etc. will result in death
