AHA: Solving the Dilemma of Not Enough Hearts
TUESDAY, March 27, 2018 (American Heart Association) — In the not-too-distant future, Dr. Jennifer Cowger envisions a cardiac transplant landscape where more donations are encouraged and utilized, genetically engineered organs can be created in a laboratory, and improved mechanical devices eliminate the need for an actual human heart.
But in the meantime, there’s a shortage on donor hearts.
“We’ve come a long way, but there is still a definite mismatch between supply and demand,” said Cowger, a cardiologist and transplant specialist who directs the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. “If you have a patient listed today for transplant, the average wait is going to be 1 and a half to two years. It’s nothing like on…
But in the meantime, there’s a shortage on donor hearts.
“We’ve come a long way, but there is still a definite mismatch between supply and demand,” said Cowger, a cardiologist and transplant specialist who directs the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. “If you have a patient listed today for transplant, the average wait is going to be 1 and a half to two years. It’s nothing like on…