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Taykeyero t1_iv8s0li wrote

Reply to comment by orein123 in During heart transplanting, how does the body survive before the heart is replaced? by harkhinz

And there's no bypass machine small enough to tote around. These things, fully configured are like 48x36x70 inches and weigh a couple hundred lbs and require electric power. They also require an oxygen feed as they not only circulate but oxygenate your blood. They also require a trained specialist to operate..known as a perfusionist. They are called heart/lung bypass machines. I know this from having heart surgery but also because I am a medical planner and have done several cardiac surgery suites.

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yournakeddad t1_ivbxlrm wrote

Some people waiting for a new heart or who aren’t candidates for heart transplant get something called an LVAD (left ventricular assist device). The device is implanted in their heart and they carry the control system and batteries around with them in a backpack and it pushes the blood through their body! You can live for a decade or more with this thing!

These people don’t have a pulse because the flow is continuous. It’s a little unsettling when you try to feel for one.

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Tools4toys t1_ivc4u9l wrote

My SO worked at a school where there was a student who attended school for 6 months with a LVAD device. As described it was a backpack powered device and the student was able to attend school normally. My SO was an employee at the school and was trained to be able to provide assistance if needed to the student. The student later received a heart transplant and no longer needed the LVAD device. Unfortunately they died approximately 5-6 years after the transplant.

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