What are Artificial organs?
Robert Hooke's "Iron Lung"
Artificial organs have been around and functional since the 17th century when Robert Hooke created the very first artificial device to sustain life, the iron lung. Artificial organs have saved many lives since then and the technology only continues to improve. As of today, the organs that have been created are skin, bladders, lungs, kidneys, and the heart. However, even though these organs are true lifesavers, they have many issues and there is much debate about whether or not this technology should be used in the human body. Researchers have had much success with these organs, and will continue to adjust the technology if they are not blocked by opposing views. So then the question for patients becomes whether or not artificial organs are good for the human body or are they detrimental to a patient based upon the pros and cons of artificial organs. Researchers and patients alike have found that the pros have definetly outweighed the cons.
In many different ways, artificial organs do exactly what the natural organ is supposed to do, and in many cases, these implanted organs save lives all over the world. There are two different ways that these organs can be created and inserted. The most common way is for the organs to be grown in the lab. The best examples of lab-grown organs are the skin and bladder because they are less complex and therefore easy to be grown in the lab from a basic template. Another way that new organs can be inserted into the body is by actually growing them inside the patient. This way is rarely used, but it is an option. Most organs are surgically implanted in patients worldwide dealing with disease or organ failure.
In many different ways, artificial organs do exactly what the natural organ is supposed to do, and in many cases, these implanted organs save lives all over the world. There are two different ways that these organs can be created and inserted. The most common way is for the organs to be grown in the lab. The best examples of lab-grown organs are the skin and bladder because they are less complex and therefore easy to be grown in the lab from a basic template. Another way that new organs can be inserted into the body is by actually growing them inside the patient. This way is rarely used, but it is an option. Most organs are surgically implanted in patients worldwide dealing with disease or organ failure.
How are artificial organs made?
Cell solution that is being prepared for the tissue scaffold.
Right now, the major issue with these created organs is vasularity. An issue with vascularity means that the organ will be rejected and can result in more serious problems and surgery for the patient. To create an artificial organ, a solution of cells, nutrients, and oxygen comes together to form the base of the organ by creating blood vessels and tissues. Once this system forms from cells in a nutrient-infused broth, it can be infused into special rubber via a tissue scaffold. This way the rubber will act like the actual tissues of the desired organ. For more complex organs such as tilt liver, heart, and kidneys, the vascular system must be grown in the lab (Biever,2007).
Benefits of artificial organs
Artificial organs are also good because the amount of organ donors is slowly declining. This causes a large problem worldwide because supplies are running out and the answer to this problem is artificial organs. These organs are also good because they can be a temporary solution to health problem or they can be a permanent solution as well, all depending upon the patient’s specific needs. There is also a specific time for each organ to be used. For example patients with heart failure would benefit greatly from the invention of the artificial heart organ because there is a much larger availability for patients. There are limited heart donations, so the only option for these patients is the artificial heart.
Artificial organs is that they will dramatically expand the patient’s life span. Even with small complications as the body adjusts to the organ, the pros of receiving an organ greatly outweighs the cons. Artificial organs will be restoring mobility and quality of life for patients who may not have had a chance for life without such an organ. As William Craelius, a bio-medical engineer at Rutgers University, says, “limb replacement as depicted by Hollywood will likely remain a fantasy” just as creating the inside of the body to be like a “bionic man” will remain a fantasy for the present. Even so, scientists and researchers are still looking for ways to improve upon these organs and are being effectively put into use. Even though there are many benefits of having an artificial organ, perhaps the greatest one of all is that fewer people will have to die hoping for an organ donation (Bannon et al., 2010).
In the future...
Scientists are now seeking to develop artificial muscles as well. The hope at this point is to create muscles that will help patients regain and improve body motion and quality of life. The new artificial muscles are also going to be used to make artificial hearts and other organs with some muscle tissue (Baughman, 2005). To take matters further, robots have also been created to work on patients with a serious surgical issue. The idea behind the robots is that the will be able to perform the incisions in surgery than a human never could. The appeal of these humanoid robots is that they will also be able to create tissue, something that doctors are not able to do in the operating room (Mironov, 2011).
The future for artificial orgnas and artificial muscles is looking bright. There are so many uses for bot thechnolgies and the human race creates more reasons everyday as we change and grow older. One day in the near future, artificial organs will play an extremely large role in the lives of everyday people and thus changing to population into a "new age human".
The future for artificial orgnas and artificial muscles is looking bright. There are so many uses for bot thechnolgies and the human race creates more reasons everyday as we change and grow older. One day in the near future, artificial organs will play an extremely large role in the lives of everyday people and thus changing to population into a "new age human".
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University of the Sciences
WRT 102-04
Allison Korn
WRT 102-04
Allison Korn