It has been revealed that there is an important design flaw in heart devices that can lead to patient death. This ha s to be addressed immediately.
Design flaws in heart device
According to some news reports, a medical device meant to save lives is now under scrutiny for potentially deadly design flaws.
The HeartMate 3— billed as a last resort for end-stage heart failure patients ineligible for transplants—has been linked to at least two deaths involving fatal air embolism, the data notes.
“The mechanically assisted pumps catastrophically malfunctioned in both cases, sending bubbles into the bloodstream, triggering strokes, and eventually causing irreparable organ damage,” according to the reports.
The lawsuit alleged that Herrman died because a defect in the locking mechanism of the HeartMate 3 prevented the device from sealing, causing multiple strokes and leading to a severe brain injury and multiorgan failure. Herrman “could not have anticipated the danger this defect … created for him,” the lawsuit said.
CBS News noted the fact that Herrman’s death was reported to a Food and Drug Administration database where the public can learn about device-related deaths, serious injuries, and malfunctions. The event was also addressed in the peer-reviewed Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation.
We suggest that you check out more details about all this in the original article posted by CBS News.
Heart health in the news
Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, and statins have been viewed as the reliable heroes in the battle against it for decades.
However, a new expert review suggests that the long-term use of statins may have an inadvertent negative impact by accelerating coronary artery calcification instead of providing protection.
The review, published in Clinical Pharmacology, suggests that statins may act as “mitochondrial toxins,” impairing muscle function in the heart and blood vessels by depleting coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an antioxidant that cells use for growth and maintenance.
