Heartbeat Technology: Medicine and Economics Combined
So you don't want to become a doctor. You're not pre-med, and learning all that latin vocabulary is exhausting. But physiology contacts our lives in many ways. Cardiovascular physiology teaches you about heart disease. You learn that women are more likely to die of heart disease than any other medical condition, but their symptoms are different than men's, and they are often misdiagnosed. If you are a woman (or know one), that is certainly relevant.
Then there's money. A company called MyoTech LLC is developing a Ventricular Assist Device that will beat a person's heart for them. And it is minimally invasive, and can be sized to fit a woman's smaller heart. Imagine the marketing! The hunt for investors! Improved treatment for women!
What part of this story did you most connect with? Heart disease? Adequate healthcare for women? The economics of medicine? Engineering of lifesaving machines? There's something for everyone.
9 comments:
Aniela
Code#5959
As a female, this article connects with me on a very high level. I am an 18 year old who tries to eat healthly and excercises regularly, but that doesn't make me exempt from the potential of getting any kind of cancer. I think it is wonderful that they have created a device that cn help woman and men everywhere who have the disease. There are some aspects of it that concern me. What would the cost be? Private health care is already so expensive it would be interesting to find out how much an operation like this costs. Also, would it even be covered under most health care plans? In addition, what are the risks involved (i.e. durability of the device)? I am sure all of these questions could be answered simply by asking a doctor, they are pertanant nonetheless. I hope to never need a device such as this, but it is a comfort to know that I might now have the opportunity for one if needed. For woman, this could be a great help; something to be put on par with the new HPV vaccine.
Here is a site I found with answers to some of the questions I asked as well as other ones for any further questions: http://www.fda.gov/hearthealth/treatments/medicaldevices/vad.html
Aniela
Code#5959
my link didn't show up all the way so here it is again
http://www.fda.gov/hearthealth/treatments/medicaldevices/vad.html
Oscar
Code#5124
This is a very interesting article and it is relevant in my own life because of the fact that my grandmother suffers from cardiovascular disease as well as obesity due to a life of smoking for numerous years and eating poorly. I had no idea that this was the highest killer among women. As a result of reading this article, I have tried to explain the serious consequences of such health diseases to my mother and contantly try to influnce her to stay active and exercise daily. It is extremely significant that companies have been a able to create a device that can aid with this type of illness, however, is it being made available to people who do not have health insurance or are poor.
Kenny
Code 7240
After reading this article, the aspect that interested me the most was the economical aspect. Being a Business Economics major the idea of being able to sell medical ideas and gadgets is an important area that many people may not directly recognize and correlate with the medical field. I feel that these companies who sell these medical tools play a vital role in being able to sell and convince people that specific tools can help save lives and improve an individuals well being. One question I do have and would like to consider is how much do these companies over charge for their products. Being an economic major I realize that if a certain company has a tremendous amount of power in the industry, then they can essentially gain huge profit by creating high prices for customers. And with todays medical bills and costs I would want to know if companies take the patients into consideration.
Heres a link to artificial blood
http://www.amyshah.com/general/improving-artificial-blood/
Vidya; Code 7546
Though I agree fully with the article that a) we are not science majors b) women do tend to have a higher risk of heart disease and c) that money has a lot to do with publicizing treatment for such diseases, I do not believe such engineering of lifesaving machines should be publicized unless fully necessary. Meaning, the Ventricular device should be an option for only those who have exhausted all other options. People should understand that though one should enjoy life, there is a limit, and that limit deals with life or death. I am quite amazed at the fact that there are people out there who eat to their heart's content without knowing what damage it is doing to the inside of their body, and having such a device put out by one MyoTech LLC is an easy option, opting out from natural ways of improving one's ability to be exempt from diseases. As one speaking from a naturlistic perspective and somewhat of an economically conservative standpoint, I believe that though the economics of medicine and the engineering of such machines is mindboggling, one should take a realistic and holistic perspective on how they want to live their lives - independently or with the help of a machine. I truly believe that one must exercise, and should limit themselves in all ways to enjoying themselves with regards to their health. I found a particularly interesting website that voiced my views so specifically.... http://www.womentowomen.com/heartdiseaseandstroke/naturalprevention.asp
Vidya; Code 7546
The website did not appear fully the first time around....here it is, again:
http://www.womentowomen.com/
heartdiseaseandstroke/
naturalprevention.asp
Dennis
Code 2475
As an economics major, the article connects to me in the aspect of investing in medical equipment and research. The idea that this type of technology will extend life as well as be somewhat of a necessity in many peoples' lives show that this would be a great business investment. Also, especially in America, due to obesity, heart disease is becoming a much bigger factor and therefore new technology that would allow people to ultimately live longer lives would be a great addition to society and would be appreciated, as well as used, by many people all around the world. Technology of this type would be very helpful to the economy and its investors as well as people who need treatment from it.
Reposting because I forgot to post a link
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_20060417/ai_n16161397
Heres a link about investing in medical devices stock
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