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Article: Reptilian hearts inspire new treatment. (laser surgery for treating clogged heart arteries causes heart muscle to mimic nutritional system of reptilian hearts)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- February 1, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Reptiles' hearts have inspired a promising new therapy for patients with untreatable coronary artery disease, Cardiologists discovered decades ago that the heart muscle of reptiles receive their nutrition largely from blood seeping through the heart muscle. rather than flowing through arteries, as is the case in humans and other mammals. In a new surgical procedure, a laser is used to drill dozens of tiny holes through the heart muscle into the main pumping chamber of the heart in order to try to simulate this reptilian physiology, explains Craig Smith, chief of cardiac surgery, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York. This therapy is an apparent godsend for people ...