Clearing clogged arteries usually involves complicated and dangerous surgery. Even looking at the arteries involves complex cross-sectional ultrasounds which only allow a view from outside of the arteries. Thanks to a team at the Georgia Institute of Technology, this tiny probe could give a clearer look at clogged arteries by actually going inside them. A single computer chip measuring just 1.4 millimeters wide holds over a hundred elements that transmit data to doctors via 13 minuscule cables.

The device will be guided through arteries by the attached cables which transmit images at a rate of 60 frames per second. According to one of the researchers on the project, the probe is the equivalent of a flashlight, allowing a much clearer view of blocked arteries than has ever before been possible. The ability to get a closer look at blockages can reduce the amount of surgeries needed to unblock arteries.

When the sensors on the probe are not needed, they shut down to save power. This lets the device use less power and therefore generate less heat when it’s inside the heart. The researchers plan to conduct animal trials to test the device’s possible applications. If the trials go well, human testing and FDA approval won’t be far behind. Future heart patients could very well have fewer surgeries to endure.

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One lucky man in France has the honor of being the first human to have a self-regulating artificial heart beating in his chest. Inventor/cardiac surgeon Alain Carpentier invented the Carmat, an artificial heart that is far different than those that have been in use for decades. Standard artificial hearts beat at a constant rate no matter what its user is doing. That means that even if a patient is doing strenuous physical activity, the heart won’t beat faster and the person will become fatigued very quickly.

The Carmat, on the other hand, contains miniature embedded sensors that will recognize the need for increased blood flow and, using a proprietary algorithm, increase the rate of its pumping. The first Carmat model is a little larger and a lot heavier than a human heart – it weighs around two pounds and is too large for 14 percent of men and 80 percent of women. A smaller model is in the works, one that will hopefully be able to benefit even more patients.

The heart is powered by an external lithium-ion battery pack that the patient wears. A fuel cell may be incorporated in future versions of the heart. As for the 75-year-old French man who is now equipped with the bionic heart, he is awake and communicating and doing well. The Carmat heart has a life expectancy of around five years, while traditional artificial hearts can be expected to last for approximately four years.

(via: Reuters)

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