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New Type Of Artificial Lung Created
cylonlover writes "Researchers have created an artificial lung that uses air as a ventilating gas instead of pure oxygen — as is the case with current man-made lungs, which require heavy tanks of oxygen that limit their portability. The prototype device was built following the natural lung's design and tiny dimensions and the researchers say it has reached efficiencies akin to the genuine organ. With a volume roughly the same as a human lung, the device could be implanted into a person and even be driven by the heart."
Let's all celebrate... with a cigar!
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
TFA/TFS says that the blood stream through the lung is driven by the normal blood circulation - so far so good.
but what about air exchange? the thing doesn't look flexible, so I think it is not possible to use the biological muscle-driven air stream. The information in the article are sparse, only "while air is fed into the gas inlet" mentions the topic of the air flow.
this is only a first step, mechanical ventilation is still needed (and with the need of external devices this implanted lung is imo not useful, not only maintenance is harder but the patient has additionaly the danger of complications without the result of an apparatus-free life)
What it means is a person with cystic fibrosis(and other diseases as well of course), such as my daughter who may have to have a lung transplant in the future, has fighting chance to continue to live a somewhat normal life with continued technological/scientific progress in this field. This makes me happy!
interesting post on the actual website that I thought I would re-post - can you create a similar technology that mimics a gill and would allow either underwater, or both under and above water breathing. though the air/liquid exchange is still an important issue for both. might require carrying a battery powered pump
www.RacquetUp.org - Helping Detroit Youth
Ummmmmm... I've seen people die from heart attack and people die from lung cancer.
Bluntly? I'd take the heart attack. At least it's over quickly. You do NOT want to die from lung cancer. The execution equivalent would probably be crucifixion.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
We have the technology, we can rebuild him.... sort of.
Tyler: [while creating RoboCop] We were able to save the left arm.
Bob Morton: What? I thought we agreed on total body prosthesis, now lose the arm okay!
Tyler: Jesus, Morton!
[snaps his finger at RoboCop]
Bob Morton: Can he understand what I'm saying?
Roosevelt: Doesn't matter, we're gonna blank his memory anyway.
Bob Morton: I think we should lose the arm, what do you think Johnson?
Johnson: Well he signed a release form when he joined the force. He's legally dead. We can do pretty much what we want to him.
Bob Morton: Lose the arm.
More to the point, how does one clean one of these things? Our lungs are constantly filtering out crap via mucous membrane and cilia to flush it out from the organ. Unless these things are designed to be flushed out with water through some sort of inlet/outlet hose design, I'm afraid they will have to be made external for ease of maintenance.
Life is not for the lazy.
33% of smokers will die from smoking-caused disease, The breakdown is 40% cancer, 25% lung disease other than cancer, 35% heart disease. But of the other 66^ of smokers, they will also have health problems. But the lung cancer is the worst from what I've seen, a long drawn out agonizing death of over a year.
no way, crucified you'll die in less than a day of agonizing pain. Lung cancer and the other cancers it causes takes over a year in the many cases of friends and family I've lost to the (preventable, caused by stupidity) disease
no, can you explain it using a likeness to cars?
Your cardiologist is one of the 73.5 percent of people who "make up" 94.376 percent of statistics.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.