August 22, 2001

6:59 AM

But "the biggest thing," he said, "is not having a heartbeat."
posted by tweebiscuit (21 comments total)

no-reg link: http://archive.nytimes.com/2001/08/22/health/anatomy/22HEAR.html
posted by smaugy at 7:13 AM on August 22, 2001

freaky.
posted by adampsyche at 7:18 AM on August 22, 2001

Needless to say, I was expecting Dick Cheney at the other end of that link.
posted by dong_resin at 7:18 AM on August 22, 2001

*rimshot*
posted by tweebiscuit at 7:26 AM on August 22, 2001

that's ever so cool.

reminds me of the commercial from the movie robocop: "you pick the heart!"

imagine in another 20 to 30 years what other organs might be replaced to stave off imminent death.
posted by bwg at 7:26 AM on August 22, 2001

maybe this guy can get a robodick.

maybe with voice-activated controls and other features.
posted by adampsyche at 7:37 AM on August 22, 2001

Oh, that's so creepy and weird! Hearing this constant whir coming from your chest?

Then again, medical things give me the heebie-jeebies in a big way. *cringe*
posted by solistrato at 7:45 AM on August 22, 2001

I'm pulling for him. Hopefully, he'll gain enough strength to receive a transplant. It is sad that he felt the need to dispel rumors that he is being used as a guinea pig since he is black. Distrust of the medical establishment runs deep in many segments of the African-American community, and hesitancy to seek out preventive care contributes to higher rates of illness and lower life expectancy.
posted by gimli at 7:50 AM on August 22, 2001

I've always wondered: why can't we decentralize the heart? Just scatter a few smaller peristaltic pumps along the major arteries/veins and power them all independently. Hey presto, no more single point of failure!
posted by aramaic at 8:02 AM on August 22, 2001

I think not having a heartbeat is damn cool. Forget "first man with artificial heart" -- he's "first man WITH NO HEARTBEAT!" I'd be a lot prouder of that.
posted by tweebiscuit at 8:21 AM on August 22, 2001

Eh. There are a lot of people who don't have heartbeats. This guy has the distinction of still being alive.
posted by kindall at 9:51 AM on August 22, 2001

...

Well, DUH. ;)
posted by tweebiscuit at 10:03 AM on August 22, 2001

Funny, that was not the pull-quote on the 11 o'clock news last night, it was the bit about how the whirring let him know he was alive...
posted by rschram at 10:08 AM on August 22, 2001

Instead, the device makes a constant whir, which he hears at night while trying to sleep.

I'm picturing the sound that the cars in the Jetson's make.
posted by fooljay at 11:10 AM on August 22, 2001

"Dude....the new Daft Punk?"

"Whu.........that's my heart, you jackass."
posted by dong_resin at 11:21 AM on August 22, 2001

he's "first man WITH NO HEARTBEAT!" I'd be a lot prouder of that.


I'm certain the other artificial hearts ran off motors and the associated whirling sounds were there too.

The real question is, when he does die will they deactivate the heart or will it keep whirling during the funeral and in the grave until it runs out of juice?
posted by skallas at 3:40 PM on August 22, 2001

FADE IN: GRAVEYARD

SALLY: Eddie! Whats that noise? It sounds...like...
(High pitched violin noises)
W-w-whirring!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Coming soon to a theater near you:
Attack of the Evil Underground Robot Heart Monster!
posted by fuq at 5:15 PM on August 22, 2001

Mechanical hearts.
Cloning.
Wireless access to computers anywhere in the world (802.11, internet).

We live in the friggin' future.
posted by owillis at 5:33 PM on August 22, 2001

We live in the friggin' future.

I don't.
posted by Option1 at 11:46 PM on August 22, 2001

It's not the future until they get that fembot thing all worked out.
posted by dong_resin at 2:54 AM on August 23, 2001

And the flying cars. But we've already discussed that...
posted by fooljay at 11:11 AM on August 23, 2001