What’s the leading cause of death in women?
I thought it was breast cancer, but it’s actually heart disease. And perhaps this tendency to think of the disease as strictly masculine explains why treatments for women have lagged behind those for men. Cardiac devices are often designed with larger male bodies in mind; they also focus on emptying blood-logged hearts, rather than helping hearts fill with blood. The latter problem is much more common in women.
Enter the MYOTECH cardiac support system, composed of a flexible polymer cup that is inserted through an incision in the skin and surrounds the heart. By expanding and contracting, the device helps the heart pump regularly.
A pretty neat little equal-opportunity device. It also made me wonder: what other diseases and conditions are wrongly thought to affect only one gender?
Life-saving technology may address unique needs of women in heart failure [press release]
