I just saw a movie, with Robert Downey Jr., where a man’s heart is exposed. The guy is normal (and alive), and is walking around, and he has a gaping hole in his chest. The hole isn’t bleeding, and the impression I got was that it was healing.
I know that this is a movie and the likelyhood of this actually being true is slim to none, but I’m intreged none the less.
Is this possible in real life? Is it possible to survive with a hole exposing your heart?
[glib]Open heart surgery?[/glib]
Nah, I don’t mean open heart surgery. More like, can you survive for months, with your heart exposed. Dang, I wish I knew the name of the movie…
It would not be impossible to create a window to the outside world, sealing off blood vessels and chest lining. It would leave one horribly vulnerable for infection and trauma, however.
QtM, MD
Mmm. Very dANGERou\s but it’sd possible i guess. Put something clear in front of the thing with a good seal;
I know a guy who had so much swelling after heart surgery that they didn’t close the incision for several days. Apparently, it’s not a super unusual situation, since a poorly working heart would cause water retention. He had to be left open since there wouldn’t be enough room for all the parts to be put back in.
He was kept in intensive care.
By the way, the title of that movie is Restoration.
There was a kid born in Philadelphia, I think with an exposed heart. He’s probably about 20 now. When he was born, his heart was actually beating outside his chest–and they were never able to place it completely in his chest, so he had to wear some kind of protective vest. (Sorry I don’t have any details. I saw this on Discovery a couple of years ago.)
Just in case you were interested, “Christopher Wall” is the name of the kid. As of 1997 he was 21. Didn’t find any further update.
Yes. It is quite possible to live with an exposed heart. I had a friend in high school that had a big hole in this chest. You could actually see his heart beating through it. He said it didn’t hurt or nothing. One time he actually let me touch his heart. It had a very warm feeling. It freaked me out. I can’t believe I actually did it. Anyway he is 28 years old now and doing just fine. He said that he was born with the hole in his chest.
Well, if cows can survive with windows in their sides I guess it’s possible.
Ace_Face: Man that’s gross. It’s like the Harkonnen heart-plugs in Dune.
Humans can also survive with gaping holes in their stomachs:
Rose Tremain, the author of the novel on which the film was based, took this incident from a real case in late-seventeenth century England, recorded (IIRC) by Anthony Wood. How reliable that report was is another matter.
Did you see your friends ribs or anything?
You touched it…wow…I don’t think I would’ve been able to do that…:eek:
Wouldn’t a person with such a hole get an infection or something???
I’m sorry, but, I just . . . don’t believe you.