Which of the body parts can be replaced with artificial parts?

             During the past two decades bio-engineers have developed a number of artificial substitutes for diseased tissues and organs. Some of these, such as, kidney dialyzers are external devices. Other such as plastic heart valves and artificial blood vessels are implanted inside the body, replacing the diseased or damaged ones. Two devices – the dialyzer and artificial heart valves are of special interest.

           The artificial kidney or dialyzer performs the function of removing wastes from the blood of a person whose kidneys do not work properly. It is an external device and patient needs dialyses twice a week. With this machine a person can be kept alive for years.

            In April 1969, Dr. Denton A. Cooley of St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston placed a Dacron and silastic heart (artificial heart) into a dying man. Three days later a cadaver heart became available and was used to replace the artificial device. The next day the patient died. Some 13 years later, at the university of Utal medical centre, an artificial heart powered by a 170 kilogram external system, was implanted in the chest of 62 years old Barney Clark. He died 112 days later of multiple organ collapses. The heart was in perfect working condition.

        In 1984-1985, several artificial heart implants were performed in the United States and Sweden. Good life spans have been achieved but against a tremendous cost.

       Artificial teeth have been used by humans for a long time very successfully.

       The heart, the lung, the liver, the kidney, the adrenal glands and cornea can be transplanted from one human being to another. Success rate of transplantations of human organs is much higher than that of artificial parts.