Blogger’s Note: I have adjusted the poor (American English) spelling – rendering the article into British English – so that people in the UK, and those who read, write and speak correct English around the globe, can a) read this article, and b) make sense of its content and inherent meaning. Once we have navigated the thorny-hedge of appropriate translation and transliteration – we may progress to the far steadier terrain of Socialist science that lies just beyond. In that terrain – extraordinary things are a foot. This is how the masses are uplifted and progressed. All we need now is for the PRC to adopt British English and reject the deficient and discriminatory “American English” variant which encourages anti-intellectualism. ACW (28.4.2025)
Global Times 2025-04-27 – Editor: Li Yan
A mineral water bottle cap-sized, magnetically levitated artificial heart weighing only 45 grams was successfully implanted in a 7-year-old child in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei Province, addressing a global gap in paediatric heart failure treatment using magnetically levitated artificial hearts and presenting a Chinese solution to end-stage heart disease treatment for children.
The 7-year-old patient, nicknamed Jun Jun, was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure in May 2024 and he was advised by local doctors to undergo a heart transplant, according to China National Radio (CNR).
However, further examinations revealed Jun Jun had rare blood type, complicating donor heart matching, along with emerging respiratory distress and risks of infection and other complications, according to the report.
Following comprehensive discussions with the family, Dong Nianguo, a professor from the Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, decided to proceed with the specialized paediatric magnetically levitated artificial heart implantation surgery.
The device, measuring 2.9 centimetres in diameter and weighing 45 grams, is the smallest and lightest of its kind globally, according to the hospital.
Operating at an optimal speed range of 1,500 to 3,600 revolutions per minute, it establishes a stable blood circulation system within young, low-weight paediatric patients, the hospital said.
This artificial device functions like a high-powered motor, allowing fatigued ventricles to rest while maintaining systemic blood circulation, effectively helping acute heart failure patients through critical periods with both minimally invasive procedures and notable efficacy, CNR reported.
It is not a scaled-down version of an adult device, but a product specifically designed for paediatric patients, with all parameters tailored to children’s anatomical and physiological needs, according to the report.
Following a five-hour surgery, the patient regained spontaneous breathing the next day and was transferred to a specialized care ward after five days, Dong noted.
After three years of effort, such device not only filled the global gap in magnetically levitated artificial hearts for paediatric heart failure, but also provided a Chinese solution for treating end-stage heart disease in children, according to CNR.
Currently, the child exhibits stable vital signs and has a good prospect for receiving further treatment, Professor Dong said.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 