The Red Entrail
By: Shruti Kirti
Tags: Cardiovascular Health, Healthcare, Research, Cardiovascular Disease, Heart

“No beauty shines brighter than a healthy heart.” It is this bundle of muscles, nerves, and cells that marks the first spark of existence and continues beating till one ceases to exist. But do you actually know about the role of technology in keeping this marvellous creation healthy? So here you have a chance, go for it. Read this one and get to know how technology saves lives and how research in the field can help us live longer!

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “red” in context with human organs? We don’t have to think much before answering this question, because it is none other than our “Heart”.

Well, there are 78 organs in a human body but we haven’t been more interested since ages in any other organ but our heart. We have considered it as an epicentre of emotions and feelings that evolve in us. We always read something interesting about this precious organ either as a philosophy or a fact. Dive into the blog to know how the latest cardiovascular research is shaping the way we understand the intricate ways of its working!

Cardio means “heart” and vascular is all about the system or network of blood vessels. What concerns us most is when the streamlined working of this cardiovascular system is disturbed. That is where most of the research is naturally centred, the primary principle of it being longevity of life, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Some of the common cardiovascular diseases are Arrhythmia, hypertension, cardiac arrest and heart failure. Let’s look at them one by one.

Heart arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, occur when the heart’s electrical system is out of synch and disorganized. When it is too slow or too fast it poses a threat to life causing strokes and heart attacks.

The Johns Hopkins Arrhythmia Service is composed of faculty who do the needful technology researches so that it can save lives. They do this through basic research and genetic studies to understand the fundamental causes of arrhythmias. They are also working on new approaches to treat cardiac arrhythmias — with medications, catheter ablation(use of a tube to destroy small areas of tissues of heart to cure irregular heartbeats) and implantable devices.

The research focuses basically on the three disorders of arrhythmias — arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), Atrial fibrillation, and ventricular arrhythmias.

ARVC poses threat to mainly young people and leads to cardiac death. The ARVD Precision Center of Excellence conducts research on it and keeps a close look on the patients suffering from it.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common disorder of arrhythmias in the world. Reports say that 2000 patients have suffered in 15 years and one necessary treatment is Catheter ablation. Researchers are even trying to improve the techniques of ablation to cure the patients more effectively.

Johns Hopkins arrhythmia experts are also working on ventricular arrhythmias. These arrhythmias arise in the lower chamber of the heart and are a common cause of sudden cardiac death.

In 2011 in a study published, John Hopkins researchers claimed that they have invented a device called ventricular fibrillation to substitute cardiac defibrillator in the best possible way. In the US over 200,000 people used a cardiac defibrillator(it is implanted in the chest to deliver high voltage shock) as it prevents and protects the body from the dangers of arrhythmias. Their reviews were really painful and it actually instigated the researchers to invent something effective and more comfortable too. Ventricular fibrillation goes for lower amplitude and different frequency range than what is used for standard defibrillator shocks.

Hypertension: It is a condition in which the force of blood against the artery walls is too high. It is commonly called high blood pressure. In today’s date, we all are familiar with high blood pressure issues. It is like every third person is suffering from it. It is also called a “silent killer” because it rarely shows any symptoms. Researchers got no chill and they are trying their best to evade its consequences in the best possible way.

We all are well aware that blood pressure is measured near our arms but in some cases, it is different outside the heart (i.e in the aorta). This inspires the researchers to develop a new imaging technology to measure bp at the root of the aorta. Scientists are even trying to upgrade the medications and one such is the use of melatonin to control the elevated bp at night.

Heart Failure: It's something that doesn’t happen in a day. It takes years of negligence towards the symptoms that cause this fatal end. Hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes, arrhythmia, high cholesterol are the steps that lead to heart failure. Recent studies show that Americans are the most affected patients of heart failure. Stem cell and regenerative therapies for heart failure and heart attack include using cells derived from human blood or skin that is changed to a heart stem cell. Laboratories are developing methods to implant these stem cells into the heart, including implantable bioreactors to keep them active and tissues printed by a biological 3-D printer.

In a study published in 2018 on over 11,000 Americans, it was claimed that physical activity continued for 6 years can reduce the risks of heart failure to a great extent. “In everyday terms, our findings suggest that consistently participating in the recommended 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each week, such as brisk walking or biking, in middle age may be enough to reduce your heart failure risk by 31 percent,” says Chiadi Ndumele, M.D., M.H.S., the Robert E. Meyerhoff Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the senior author of a report on the study. “Additionally, going from no exercise to recommended activity levels over six years in middle age may reduce heart failure risk by 23 percent.”

In a nutshell, technology had played a major role in saving lives by taking our medical facilities to a much advanced level. We all are very much concerned about our health and try to take all the necessary measures to protect ourselves from diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases. But at the same time, we are very much dependent on the researches ongoing in this field to ensure a better and healthy life. Hence, what research beholds for the future of a healthy heart is not only intriguing but also life-saving.