Flatline

Imagine being alive, but with no pulse. Not just a weak pulse, but NO pulse. This new artificial heart created by the Texas Heart Institute uses a constant flow turbine pump design to move blood though the body with no pulsations.

 

That makes me wonder. After evolving for millions of years with a pulse, are there certain functions of the body that may misfire without a long-term heart beat? Would we succumb to depression if the brain "expects" some kind of pulsations to function properly? Something, somewhere inside us surely must rely on that pulsation for something...internal timers, etc. Hmm. Just a thought.

 

And what about blood pressure? How do you determine what to set the pressure at? Some average of 120/80? 100 perhaps? Or do you go with the lower number of 80 at rest. More study needed.