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Originally Posted by I_am_Beast
Ummm this guy died shortly after, like almost a year ago......
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Canada 02
not to sound heartless  , but this type of procedure will cost $300-500K per patient for the first year for the device, surgery, drugs and follow up care. This guy lived for 5 weeks.
Given skyrocketing medical costs, these type of procedures are not of much significance, in the big picture, because they won't be performed on the vast majority of patients with coronary disease |
That's not really the point. The fact that we can replace the entire organ for any length of time - especially five weeks - is a spectacular breakthrough for medical science.
As the technology matures, costs will go down, and the procedure will become more documented, easier to repeat. Efficiencies may be gained in various areas. One day, this sort of procedure may become as routine as an artificial pacemaker. Imagine that.