Heart Health and Heart Diseases
Cardiovascular diseases maintain their priority as the most serious health problems in our country and in the world. Cardiovascular diseases, which are the most common and cause many serious health problems, can cause heart dysfunction in the later stages.
Cardiovascular diseases; It can cause heart attacks due to blockages in the heart vessels, stenosis and insufficiency in the heart valves, and as a result, deterioration of the contractile function of the heart. Sometimes, although there is no problem in the heart's vascular system and valves, the disease starts directly from the heart muscle. Hypertension, one of the most common diseases in society, can cause heart failure by causing thickening of the heart wall and relaxation of the heart muscle. Heart valve diseases, heart rhythm disorders, heart muscle infections, congenital heart diseases and hereditary heart muscle diseases are among other causes of heart failure.
What are the changes that occur in heart failure?
In heart failure, while the heart tries to provide the necessary amount of blood to the tissues and organs, the tissues and organs also adapt to the heart failure situation. tries to provide. This situation is known as the adaptation of the heart, tissues and organs to heart failure.
For this adaptation, the heart increases the number of beats per minute to pump more blood (tachycardia). In order to receive and pump a larger amount of blood, it increases its size and enlargement of the heart cavities (dilatation) occurs. To increase its performance and provide better pump power, the heart walls thicken (hypertrophy). With the activation of many hormonal mechanisms in the body, the amount of circulating blood is increased and directed to vital organs. However, over time, adaptation mechanisms begin to become insufficient, and in the future, these adaptation mechanisms initiate processes that are more harmful than beneficial. The picture of heart failure gets worse.
If the heart failure problem reaches advanced levels and does not respond positively to the treatment methods applied, the final The cure is a heart transplant. Unfortunately, there are many patients with heart failure waiting for a heart transplant in our country and around the world. Most of them lose their lives during the waiting phase. Artificial heart application that helps heart contractions can be performed in this group of patients. Artificial heart applications performed in line with the dysfunctions that occur in the heart have become very effective methods in line with the developing technology.
What is an Artificial Heart?
The heart is a critical organ for the body. Heart health problems and treatment of heart diseases are very important for the health of the whole body and person.
There is no standard treatment method yet developed for chronic heart failure. Heart muscle strengthening drugs used in medical treatment rapidly consume energy stores in vital organs in the body and have negative effects on patient health. Although heart transplantation as a surgical treatment method represents an effective solution potential, it requires national organization and organ donation awareness. The situation where heart diseases become increasingly worse while waiting for a transplant or during the treatment process has made alternative methods necessary. In this regard, if heart problems do not respond to treatment methods and reach an advanced stage, an artificial heart is applied.
Artificial heart is a mechanical support device that helps pump blood from the ventricle of the heart to the rest of the body.
In Which Situations Is Artificial Heart Applied?
Artificial heart is an effective treatment method for patients with advanced heart failure whose exercise capacity is severely limited, shortness of breath is observed and edema cannot be eliminated despite the drug treatment. In this regard, we can list the situations in which artificial heart application is carried out as follows;
-Deterioration in the health status of patients waiting for heart transplantation
-In order to provide a bridge to heart transplantation to ensure the continuity of the eligibility conditions for heart transplantation
-Eliminating temporary problems in other organs of the patient that prevent heart transplantation
-Prevent heart transplantation In case of permanent health problems, detailed examinations and a general evaluation are performed on the patient before the artificial heart application, in order to ensure that the patient has a permanent condition for life. Artificial heart applications performed in this direction vary depending on the size and location of the problems occurring in the heart.
What are the Types of Artificial Heart?
Artificial heart application is basically carried out according to the diagnosis in which region the problems causing heart failure occur.
Left Artificial Hearts
In case of only left heart failure problem, artificial heart application is performed only in the left ventricle of the heart.
Bilateral Artificial Hearts
In cases where left ventricle and right ventricle insufficiency occur together in the heart, artificial heart application is performed bilaterally. Bilateral artificial hearts are supported by devices located outside the body. Bilateral artificial hearts, supported by devices located outside the body, pump blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lung vessels and from the left ventricle to the whole body. Bilateral artificial heart applications are called Biventricular Assist Device.
Total Artificial Hearts
They constitute the types of artificial hearts that are at the most advanced application stage in the field of artificial hearts. Unlike other artificial heart applications, in total artificial heart applications, the heart is completely removed and an artificial heart is placed in its place. Total artificial heart applications are applied to people who have previously had heart valve surgery and a clot is detected in their heart, as well as patients who are diagnosed with insufficiency in both ventricles.
Artificial hearts are basically divided into two groups according to their duration of use.
-Systems that provide support for a few hours, days or a few weeks can be defined as short-term cardiac support devices. Such artificial heart applications are used in acute heart failures that can be healed in a short time or in resuscitation after sudden cardiac arrest.
-Defined as pulsatile Artificial hearts, which can be described as beating hearts, can be used in a healthy way for many years. Long-term artificial hearts are applied to support both heart regions in cases where heart failure is observed at advanced levels and the failure of the right ventricle is added to the problem of left heart failure.
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