Perfusionist Charles McDonald runs the heart bypass machine in surgery. His project looked at whether the machine
has an effect on the blood passing through it. He suspected essential trace elements needed to fight infection were being absorbed into the plastic tubes. Dr McDonald tested donated blood before and after going through the bypass machine. He then analysed the mineral content. He found selenium (which has a vital role in balancing the body’s inflammation process) was being absorbed into the tubes.
Outcome:
Charles’s discovery is significant. The use of plastic tubes had been assumed to have no impact on patients. Charles is now conducting a study with surgical patients to gather specific data on the body’s live response to the selenium depletion.
Benefit:
Heart disease is the world’s biggest killer and heart bypass surgery is common. This research has the potential to significantly improve the success rates of heart surgery across the world, saving lives and reducing the length of time patients spend in hospital.
No comments:
Post a Comment