I was in the grocery store yesterday, and I heard an odd zooshuup, zooshuup, zooshuup sound. I looked around, and there was a guy with a big backpack on, and the sound was coming from the backpack. A large clear tube ran from the backpack and disappeared under his t-shirt. The guy was young, maybe late 20’s or early 30’s, average looking, and seemed completely normal in every way, until I saw a hand-written sign on the back pack:
Artificial Heart Recipient.
I really wanted to talk to him, but I figured he must get endless questions, hence the sign, so I left him alone. I didn’t have any idea that the technology was available to make such a device portable.
I stopped at a grocery store, parked next to a hoopty, ya know a beaten up car. It was running with no one in it with the passenger window open. It was still running when I came out of the store 10 minutes later.
The only way it could be better would be if instead it sounding like Darth Vader breathing.
My sighting …
Today I was out biking in a busy urban downtown. And needed to maneuver around a large vulture standing in the bike lane. I saw no sign of roadkill anywhere nearby. The vulture was walking slowly & looking around alertly. But sure wasn’t boresighted on a nearby meal, nor perturbed by the cars & bikes whizzing by. Huh.
My understanding is the best artificial heart tech that’s been approved for use still requires a lot of external kit, but it’s been easily portable in a backpack for a while now.
