I get that coagulation and reject is a huge issue, that might lead to stroke and other cardiovascular issue, but over 70% died from lung disease, UTI, or sepsis. How is TAH causing this? Modern antibiotics can’t counter it?
In: Biology
Artificial implants are basically not accessible to the immune system since they are not alive and don’t have blood flow into them. This means that any infection can run amok within/on the device. They can often get biofilms, which is bacteria and slime they secrete that offer even more protection from the immune cells in blood flowing over the surface. Any small amount of bacteria that gets into the blood can seed the device. Once infected, the artificial heart can shed bacteria directly into the blood, leading to an overwhelming infection and death
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