Brighter future for transplant CT surgery?

[Jackofknives]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/061213/health/health_health_mechanical_heart_3

"Quebecer with mechanical heart considered only living Canadian with no pulse"

Edit: The difference between this heart and other mechanical hearts on the market is that this one has a magnetic field so it is levitated within the body, that means it does not touch anything and there is no friction, no heat generated, so there is no wear and tear. That is supposed to make it last 10 years or so compared to the 1½ to 2 years that the mechanical hearts currently last. This device is therefore not a bridge to real heart transplant but it is designed to be implanted permanently as a substitute for a heart transplant. It could very well be a superior option because many patients don’t last longer even with a new heart transplant and there is no risk of rejection.

The mechanical heart and the procedure are currently in clinical trial in Canada and the US.

I suppose in the near future we would be able to manufacture even better mechanical hearts that last a lifetime, even be able to simulate pulses, and adjust to physiological changes. Wouldn't it make CT transplant surgery very sought after?

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[Misterioso]

give it a rest already with these "future" of CT surgery threads.

if there's not enough work to go around for the main type of procedure in the specialty (CABG), it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out there won't be enough transplant work to sustain the number of CT surgeons out there either.

 

[Blake]

give it a rest already with these "future" of CT surgery threads.

if there's not enough work to go around for the main type of procedure in the specialty (CABG), it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out there won't be enough transplant work to sustain the number of CT surgeons out there either.

Indeed. Who cares about CT when you've got rocket surgery ? Do YOU have what it takes ?

 

[Mr. McDuck]

That depends on whether it involves performing surgery on rockets, or performing surgery whilst being on a rocket. Or maybe performing surgery on those who were once on a rocket.

 

[Blake]

That depends on whether it involves performing surgery on rockets, or performing surgery whilst being on a rocket. Or maybe performing surgery on those who were once on a rocket.

Or doing surgery on rockets and on those who were once on a rocket, whilst being on a rocket ?

Think of the possibilities !

 

[Entei]

Indeed. Who cares about CT when you've got rocket surgery ? Do YOU have what it takes ?

Lord have mercy. I read this and laughed so hard that I sprayed water all over my monitor.

<3 you guys

 

[Jackofknives]

Well the limited amount of cases could have something to do with the little amount of hearts out there. I.e. demand >> supply, and the little supply is limiting the case volume. If viable mechanical hearts could fully replace biological hearts there won't be waiting lists and considering cardio vascular disease is very prevalent in the western world often resulting heart attacks, I think this procedure will be very sought after and case volume will increase significantly.

I'd like to have a CT surgery to share his opinion on this.

 

[Joel Fleischman]

Not a CT surgeon, but will likely wind up one.
IF you want to do CT surgery...do it.
- CABG is a thing of the past... yep. Yep it was greater than 75% of the case load. yep.
but look:
- Valve surgery --- still there... some work on repairs that can be done in the cath lab is being done... but its not big time or main stream.
- Aortic arch anneuryism and dissection... people still get those...
- what if the AA is associated with Aortic Regurg.. no one in the cath lab is going to touch that...
- Transplant is maxed at 3,000 / year... just a fact of life based on the number of suitable donors. But LVAD / TAH are becoming more and more promising....just look on the cover on next months national geographic...
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0702/feature1/multimedia.html
... plus there is a lot of work showing LVAD + Beta blockers can revere heart failure.

- The whole history of heart surgery is filled with folks saying can't, wont work, maybe it will work only in a small subset of pt.... screw'em, just do it.


... on the other hand maybe you could be a rocket heart surgeon. Don't rocket's have hearts?

 

[Misterioso]

Not a CT surgeon, but will likely wind up one.
IF you want to do CT surgery...do it.
- CABG is a thing of the past... yep. Yep it was greater than 75% of the case load. yep.
but look:
- Valve surgery --- still there... some work on repairs that can be done in the cath lab is being done... but its not big time or main stream.
- Aortic arch anneuryism and dissection... people still get those...
- what if the AA is associated with Aortic Regurg.. no one in the cath lab is going to touch that...
- Transplant is maxed at 3,000 / year... just a fact of life based on the number of suitable donors. But LVAD / TAH are becoming more and more promising....just look on the cover on next months national geographic...
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0702/feature1/multimedia.html
... plus there is a lot of work showing LVAD + Beta blockers can revere heart failure.

- The whole history of heart surgery is filled with folks saying can't, wont work, maybe it will work only in a small subset of pt.... screw'em, just do it.


... on the other hand maybe you could be a rocket heart surgeon. Don't rocket's have hearts?

dude, CABG was the meal-ticket operation for CT surgeons. there is not enough of the other types of operations (valve, aortic, transplant, congenital, thoracic) to adequately sustain all the CT surgeons. if there were then you wouldn't have all these unemployed CT surgeons. the writing is on the wall. heck it's carved in stone. you can be stubborn and choose to ignore it, but don't be complaining when after your 2-3 years of CT fellowship you come out with no job offers and back to doing general surgery.

 

[Joel Fleischman]

how many unemployed CT surgeons are you talking about?

CABG was an abused meal ticket...heck..they went nuts with it.
I dont know one fellow yet that has not got a job... even some pretty crappy ones
but you're right...
the money is not what it once was (they were going nuts with the cabg)
Not as many jobs as there once was... but theyre still there.
My guess is most of the jobs will be in academia eventually, so to qualify my previous post... if you want to get a job at County General and rake in the $$$... you're probably screwed. But if you think the coolest thing in the world is working on a human heart, and actually fixing a lethal dz, and the thought of being a cardiologist writing the same note over and over again, getting dizzy rounding in the hospital is not for you... then do it.
Yep the hours do suck, but they do for most doctors, surgeons in general. if you freaking love working in the chest, dont put yourself through the hrs of IR/vascular just to get a job... you'll MAYBE get home 45 minutes earlier... but you miss out on what your really want to do.
Also dont forget... there are other organs in the chest that need to be cut to be fixed, the beating one just tends to be the most fun.