Device Keeps Lungs Breathing Outside the Body 74
Al writes "A new system that keeps lungs breathing outside the body could improve the chances of a successful transplant. The Toronto XVIVO Lung Perfusion System, developed at Toronto General Hospital, can keep a pair of human lungs slowly breathing inside a glass dome attached to a ventilator, pump, and filters. The lungs are maintained at normal body temperature of 37 C and perfused with a bloodless solution that contains nutrients, proteins, and oxygen. The organs can be kept alive in the machine for up to 12 hours while surgeons assess function and repair them. See a video of the system keeping a pair of lungs alive."
GOOD LORD!!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Watch that video!!
NOW.
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Modern science truly works miracles.
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Re:That's unholy (Score:4, Funny)
I think you have some issues. :)
And no Canadians are not stuck in the stone age. Only an idiot would think that.
You guys are stuck in the ice age
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On Slashdot it is impossible to post a joke that nobody will take seriously.
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And no, "the rich" can't pay for it out of pocket above the socialized care. See, that would be unfair to those who can't afford it.
Canada, along with Cuba and North Korea, is one of only three places where a citizen can not spend their own money to save their own life. The state literally owns your life.
When my son was sick there, I presented his Ameri
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Hey I was just making a joke about the weather in Canada.
I have heard both good and bad about your health care system. The thing is that it is your health care system and not mine. I don't have to live with it, use it, or pay for it.
It is your country and I feel that Canadians need to work out what is best for Canada.
I know I hate it when people on other countries try to say what the US should or shouldn't do so as I said it is all up to you.
But that being said it is just too freaking cold for me there.
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It is easy to say that one should fix one's own's country's problems. However, in practice this can be very difficult when one is (a) the victim of it's policies, (b) exploited tax-wise for the benefit of others, (c) one's taxes also support the exploitive system itself.
What can one do? Bitch, complain, and try to raise awareness to effect a peaceful revolt at the polls?
I, and others, tried that, through
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Well the US is the land of immigrants so I have no problem with you choosing to be here. As I said I feel I have no right to say how Canada should run it's health care system. I do feel that Canada does a good job at being a democracy but then I don't live there. As I said my post was simply a weather joke. I was born and live in Florida so Canada is just too frigging cold.
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Still, the recognition of habeous corpus for Guantanamo detainees gives me some hope, even as I might think them guilty of actions against the U.S. -- let a trial settle the issue
"In Canada, the United States has joined a notorious group of countries -- Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Afghanistan and China, among others -- as a place where foreigners risk torture and abuse, according to a training manual for Canadian diplomats that was accidentally given this week to Amnesty International lawyers."
Last time Cana
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Actually, less worse, because Guantanamo detainees have habeas corpus to draw upon in their defense, whereas individuals can be legally held incommunicado without trial indefinitely in Canada.
I never said the American government does not break it's own laws, but when it does, one can cry "Foul!"
Not so in Canada.
And, lets not forget Canadians Ahmed Said al-Khadr, and his family [danielpipes.org].
Heck, even then Prime Minister Chretien supported their terrorist groups.
I
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You truly are crazy.
I dunno if you watch the news but Obama has acknowledged that all that torture was against basically every world law on the books, yet is gonna still ignore the rule of law saying that since it happened in the past we should move on.
I'd rather stay in a country that doesn't demolition buildings at the expense of thousands of it's own citizens and hundreds of it's on firefighters. But as usual it is like talking to a wall trying to explain to an American that buildings can't just fall at
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Please cite, since I kinda remember my mom having an epidural to have me just fine.
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My post was pointing out the fact that often people feel universal health care gives only the basics rather then pushing innovation. When in fact Canadians have access to the same innovative technologies as everybody else and as this story points out are even breaking new ground.I only said in light of people south of us labeling health care as a socialist entity and think the quality of there health care would drop significantly if it were universal. Same people often think Michael Moore is the Antichrist
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Another reason Americans should get universal health care, that I can speak for. Is because ass loads of 'Mericans come up here and exploit our free health care at the expense of Canadians. Buddies mom is a nurse and says at least once a week a lady from overseas has a baby at the expense of Canadian citizens to the tune of 30 000$ (in just her hospital). They plan ahead to go into labor soon after getting off the plane, we legally do not deny them health care (As other countries due if you have no insuranc
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That seems... weird. The hospital doesn't charge them if they don't have a provincial health insurance card? Can you cite that?
Re:GOOD LORD!!!! (Score:5, Funny)
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Ahhhh! God that is creepy. That is something straight out of a 50's sci-fi film. Next thing you know they'll have Hitler's brain [wikipedia.org] in there pulsing away.
Getting them over with. (Score:5, Funny)
I'm glad they're breathing new life into transplant technology.
The medical community did well but they shouldn't go getting all puffed up over this.
phew. There. I'm taking a karma hit for everybody who even considered making those jokes.
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The news media is just inflating this story to improve their ratings. Nothing to see here.
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Re:Getting them over with. (Score:5, Funny)
Well, I'm glad you achieved your aspiration.
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I'm sure he's glad to get that off his chest.
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That's enough folks. Let's all just take a deep breath and get on with it.
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It'll be a while before this is viable for general use. I wouldn't hold my.....ahh nevermind.
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Ok ok, just calm down and take a deep breath.
cool & creepy (Score:3, Funny)
While this is rather cool, I can't help thinking that,somehow, Vincent Price had a hand in the project.
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Is this a "Dr. Phibes" joke? Because if it is then you, sir, are awesome.
Ah, something on topic? hmmm.
While I don't see the current generation of breath contraptions ad impto hardum, the far reaching implications inherent in the very philosophy that embodies a device such as this should give each of us pause as we... oh fine, yes, it's off topic.
I'm strangely aroused (Score:2, Funny)
Maybe it's not the heaving of breasts that is so attractive about women. Perhaps it's something more primal, more core.
Watching the lungs inflate and deflate rhythmically makes me feel all funny inside.
Like I want to retch.
Krang (Score:3, Funny)
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You think it's creepy in 2009? Imagine seeing something like that in 1940:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experiments_in_the_Revival_of_Organisms [wikipedia.org]
http://www.archive.org/details/Experime1940 [archive.org]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap1co5ZZHYE [youtube.com]
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I do beleive the iron lung requires an actual living body to work. This simply requires living lungs. Hence, you know, the very first sentence in the summary "A new system that keeps lungs breathing outside the body"...
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Good news Mr and Mrs Smith! we were able to save your son's lungs. Here's the jar, make sure to keep him plugged in. Sorry we couldn't save anything else.
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So they've basically re-designed the iron lung [wikipedia.org]?
Not really. An iron lung works by negative pressure outside the body causing a negative intrathoracic pressure which draws a breath into the lungs. This is mimicking the physiologic function of the chest wall where the intercostal muscles contract causing the ribs to rise (bucket handle) and the diaphram to contract and drop. This increases intrathoracic volume and decreases the pressure.
Looking at the video, they are using a positive pressure system, where much like the modern ventilators, forces air in
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Attending his funeral?
How this works (Score:2)
First you put your lungs in the dome, along with your weed which you light and then you slide the other half of the dome over and let the lungs fill up with smoke.
Full System (Score:2, Interesting)
How long do you think it will be before they are able to do a full system like this. Or at least the brain, eyes, lungs, and heart. That would be amazing!
It would also make a good goofy syfy movie where the bodyless organs go around and commit crimes. It would get away with it because nobody would be able to identify it (lack of facial features).
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Not too long ago I saw a documentary on Robert J. White [wikipedia.org] and related "experiments". I don't know if it was him or one of the Russians with similar projects, but they actually kept a monkey brain alive outside the head. Yes, there was video footage...
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It would also make a good goofy syfy movie where the bodyless organs go around and commit crimes. It would get away with it because nobody would be able to identify it (lack of facial features).
I can't help but think that the bodyless organs might stand out a bit in a police lineup, owing to having no body... facial features or not.
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How long do you think it will be before they are able to do a full system like this. Or at least the brain, eyes, lungs, and heart. That would be amazing!
Quite a while. Part of the success they had with lungs is that they don't require blood...or more precisely hemoglobin which carries oxygen...so they can get away with just "feeding" the lung nutrients as they oxygenate themselves.
There are currently systems used that keep solutions circulating through transplant kidneys, that help keep them viable longer.
Brains pose unique problems. We don't have the technology to reconnect them so they function properly...and no prospect of fixing this anytime soon.
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Makes me think of that great but long movie bicentennial man with robin williams!
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Well... I think the key part is keeping the brain alive which they already do during Cardiopulmonary bypass [wikipedia.org]
Lungs and heart can be replaced (not easily since that requires a donar), but if the brain dies, thats it.
I remember seeing an old Soviet film where they did this to a dog and had an oxygen machine keeping the dogs head filled with oxygenated blood.
Hmmm (Score:3, Interesting)
Odd. Video looks kind of fake, especially given that the first cut has was I'm presuming to be a vacuum cover _off_ of the device. Plus the lungs are way too perfect looking -- nothing like the more ragged looking ones in the photo. *shrug* Not doubting it works, just don't think the video's authentic, more an "artist's representation" of what the system does.
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Because lungs don't expand and contract on their own, they rely in a change in pressue in the chest cavity to drawn in or expell air, if I remember my high school biologo correctly. You would either need to force air into and out of them directly, or create/dispel a vacuum around them to create a more "natural" operation. My money's on the vacuum, because it's got to be easier on the tissues. Also, I would suspect a vacuum because it's got to be cleaner than leaving the organ exposed to the open air -- i
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A question: (Score:3, Insightful)
Why did one of the lungs looked like it was sliced or cracked?
Re:A question: (Score:5, Insightful)
If I recall correctly (health class was a long, long time ago), each lung is separated into 2 or 3 lobes. They're supposed to look like that.
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Yes, the closer lung is the right lung. It is divided into three lobes, with the transverse and oblique fissures dividing them.
Already been done, and ever more freakier stuff.. (Score:5, Insightful)
and it was all done in the 1950s. Search for Doctor Sergei S. Bryukhonenko.
Experiments in the Revival of Organisms [wikipedia.org]
A link to the movie in google video [google.com]
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Considering the time and location of his experiments I think some concerns might be raised.
I bet this guy makes Victor Frankenstein look like a noob. But I could be wrong ofc.
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fucking terrifying. (Score:2)
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