This is a rare look at an explanted heart immediately following removal from a patient. This heart suffered from a dilated cardiomyopathy sizing more than three times the size of a normal heart. The medical student who sent us this video said that the heart continued to beat for over twenty-five minutes outside of the body. Loss of cardiomyocyte contractility (heart-beat) normally occurs within sixty seconds after the onset of total ischemia, a complete lack of oxygen. This heart’s inability to stop contracting may be due to the adaptation the heart cells underwent due to long term cocaine abuse. Cocaine consumption causes a dramatic rise in heart rate while also decreasing coronary bloodflow due to adrenergic vasoconstriction of the vessels. This means the heart receives less blood flow and less oxygen despite the increase in physical workload. This increased workload contributes to the expanding size of the heart also. This phenomenon leads to partial myocardial ischemia every single time the patient abuses the drug. It is possible that this heart had become so adapted to myocardial ischemia over the past fifteen years that it became resilient enough to beat without an oxygen supply for twenty-five minutes. This is a great reminder to stay away from illicit drugs and it is an incredible example of how adaptive the human body is.
Written by: Student Doctor Navpreet Singh Badesha
Video credit: this video was sent to us by a medical student!
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