# Anybody See "Artificial Heart Guy" on the News? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 22, 2001, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-see-artificial-heart-guy-on-the-news/77555 "2001-08-22T15:39:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2001, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-see-artificial-heart-guy-on-the-news/77555/21 "2001-08-23T00:20:19Z")
One of the [CNN stories](http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/07/04/artificial.heart/index.html) on this had these little tidbits: > [@](#): > > The new heart was sewn inside the patient’s body along with a battery pack and controller, and has no tubes or wires extending outside his chest. > > The implanted battery pack is for short-term use. Dowling said the heart normally is powered by a unit that is “plugged into the wall” and transmits an electrical current through the skin. > > If the patient wants to “go to a ball game,” he said, there is a battery belt that will power the unit for four hours with each battery. > > The man would be able to take a shower or perform other movements away from external power sources by using the battery implanted in his chest, which Dowling said would power the heart for “30 to 40 minutes.” That bit about taking a shower while on internal battery power would kind of take some getting used to: “Honey–don’t stay too long in the shower! You’ll use up all the hot water! Plus, you’ll die!” And what if the ball game goes into extra innings? I think I’d be sort of paranoid about staying “plugged in” as much as possible. (What if the battery developed one of those annoying glitches where, if you recharged it before it was fully discharged, it started holding less and less charge? Don’t some rechargeable batteries do that?) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2001, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-see-artificial-heart-guy-on-the-news/77555/22 "2001-08-23T00:36:46Z")
What I can’t get over is how the guy who has a mechanical heart is named “Tools.” ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2001, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-see-artificial-heart-guy-on-the-news/77555/23 "2001-08-23T01:35:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MEBuckner \* > \*\*One of the [CNN stories](http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/07/04/artificial.heart/index.html) on this had these little tidbits: > > > [@](#): > > > > The new heart was sewn inside the patient’s body along with a battery pack and controller, and has no tubes or wires extending outside his chest. > > > > The implanted battery pack is for short-term use. Dowling said the heart normally is powered by a unit that is “plugged into the wall” and transmits an electrical current through the skin. > > > > If the patient wants to “go to a ball game,” he said, there is a battery belt that will power the unit for four hours with each battery. > > > > The man would be able to take a shower or perform other movements away from external power sources by using the battery implanted in his chest, which Dowling said would power the heart for “30 to 40 minutes.” > > That bit about taking a shower while on internal battery power would kind of take some getting used to: > > “Honey–don’t stay too long in the shower! You’ll use up all the hot water! Plus, you’ll die!” > > And what if the ball game goes into extra innings? > > I think I’d be sort of paranoid about staying “plugged in” as much as possible. (What if the battery developed one of those annoying glitches where, if you recharged it before it was fully discharged, it started holding less and less charge? Don’t some rechargeable batteries do that?) \*\* How about road trips? Do they have a lighter adapter? “Dude! We need that for the CD player!” ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2001, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-see-artificial-heart-guy-on-the-news/77555/24 "2001-08-23T02:05:05Z")
But does he have a USB port? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2001, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-see-artificial-heart-guy-on-the-news/77555/25 "2001-08-23T12:57:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SuperNelson \* > **I’ve had a mechanical valve since 1984. The ticking drove me nuts at first, but after a while it got to the point where I had to concentrate to hear it.** If you had a hydraulic lifter instead of a solid one maybe it wouldn’t have ticked so loudly AND you wouldn’t have to adjust it so often. Whadya mean it’s not the same as on a car? 😉 Really, do you think it’s because you are used to it or because it’s seated better? Or some of both? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-see-artificial-heart-guy-on-the-news/77555.md?page=1)