There is no denying the fact that medical world hasn’t remained how we knew it from a decade or two ago. Several new elements have taken prominent positions across the sphere to give it a new albeit healthier look. A trigger for such a massive change had to be substantial in its nature, and technology proved to be just that. Ever since the integration of technology went full swing within the medical sector, a billion lives have changed for the better. A sense of hope can be now felt around medical institutions that were infamous for being somewhat morbid previously. Technology didn’t just turn up to save lives, but it is also playing an instrumental role in enhancing the quality of lives. All the fitness drives we see today are largely facilitated by technological by-products that help us in gauging the exact state of our body, thus making us well informed about ourselves and guiding us towards improved overall health. However, it’s not as sunny as it looks to be.
While technology has been positively transformational for medical sphere, its shortcomings do take up a higher significance when the talk is about saving a life. No matter how big of an impact it has had, at the end of the day it’s still just a man-made machine that is subjected to errors at times. A right example of this would be the story of Medtronic heart pumps.
On Thursday, USA’s Food and Drug Administration sent out a warning to the surgeon fraternity regarding the use of Medtronic heart pumps, which are grabbing the headlines for all the wrong reasons. As per the reports, Medtronic heart pumps are becoming increasingly tied to strokes as a result of power failure. So far, there have been a dozen stroke-related deaths already that give an impression of being caused by a malfunctioning heart pump. Medtronic, in response, has halted the sale of their Heartware assist device. Many surgeons have complained that the device can stop working abruptly and then refuse to restart, but the company is still yet to pinpoint the core reason behind it.
Currently, there over 4,000 active implants of Medtronic’s Heartware device, and due to the nature of such a condition, FDA has advised against getting it removed right away. Instead, the agency has encouraged patients to contact the company for latest guidance on managing the device.
