More often then not, technology is used by us to help us in our day to day lives. Well this cannot be more true than in the medical field. One of the most recent inventions in this field is a new artificial lung that is being worked on by a group of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, and is aimed at enabling patients who are awaiting surgery for a lung transplant to be more mobile.
The device is comprised of both an artificial lung and a blood pump which can be worn by a patient for up to three months and will help them to be able to get up and move around, which is important in improving the state of the patient before surgery.
The device simply straps on to the patients shoulders, and is connected to an oxygen tank that can be wheeled around by the patient. This is a huge improvement for patients waiting for a transplant, as they often end up being stuck in bed and unable to move around, which is of course not ideal for their health. This is especially bad for patients awaiting a big surgery such as a lung transplant, who need to be able to move around to build up their strength for the surgery.
