I just finished a very interesting book called Lightning Flowers by Katherine Sandefer. The narrator has a rare genetic medical condition where her heart stops beating. Through years of medical procedures, having a deribrilator put into her chest, leading to unbearable pain, only to find out what they did to her wasn't right, was unbelievable. The other part of the story is how she navigated the medical system, a young woman without insurance, then minimal insurance, and how she surmised that working the system was more difficult than getting the proper treatment.
There is a great disparity between the high and low income countries in terms of pacemaker and defibillator availibility. Each year 1-2 million individuals worldwide die due to a lack of access to pacemakers and defibrillators. Meanwhile, almost 90% of individuals with pacemakers would donate their device to others in need if given the chance. One problem is that in America pacemakers are considered single use devices. Sweden has been recycling pacemakers since 1996. What took us so long to realize the humanity of recycling pacemakers?
The University of Michigan established Project My Heart Your Heart to test proof of concept for the safety and efficacy of salvaging donated pacemakers and re-implanting them in cardiac patients. Donated pacemakers with at least 4 years of life left (most pacemakers last 10 years) are refurbished and implanted in patients around the world, most of whom would die otherwise. What a gift.
Most of us take implantable cardiac devices (ICD's)for granted. Pacemakers are part of the standard of medical care in wealthy countries. The cost of pacemakers is prohibitive for patients in poorer countries, and although some patients in need are receiving near expiry devices or recycled devices, it's not nearly enough. Let's hope that the My Heart Your project continues to grow, so that everyone who needs a pacemaker of ICD can get one.
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