The indigenous Aymara women of Bolivia are turning their knitting expertise to a life-saving new project: weaving a medical device to help children with heart defects! The special occluders they make allow surgeons to repair holes in the heart quickly and with less invasive procedures. So far, their work has helped hundreds of children in Bolivia and around the world.
The occluders help to seal a hole in the heart that babies can be born with, a condition called patent ductus arteriosus. Designed by cardiologist Franz Freudenthal, the Nit Occlud device is made of a nickel-titanium alloy that can memorize its original shape. As a result, surgeons can fold the device and move it through a child’s blood vessels, unfolding it once it’s in the correct position in the heart. An alternative to open heart surgery, this less invasive method allows much faster recovery times and reduces the risks associated with surgery. Freudenthal told the BBC that “the most important thing is that we try to get really really simple solutions for complex problems."
But there was one problem: Freudenthal’s device, which weaves a single strand of the metal into shape, is too difficult to mass produce. Fortunately, he was been able to enlist the skills of Aymara women, an indigenous people in the Andes who are famous for the intricate knitting and weaving abilities. The women weave the tiny devices in special "clean rooms", with one occuluder taking a knitter about two hours to complete.
In La Paz, Bolivia where the high altitude and low oxygen compounds the problems of children with this medical condition, this device has an especially dramatic effect on kids. Six-year-old Cinthia received the Nit Occlud device three years ago and her mother, Victoria Hilari says the change is incredible: “She couldn't even walk one block. She used to tell me she was too tired... Now she can run and she's even passing physical education at school.” And, for the women who make the devices, that’s the biggest reward of all: Daniela Mendoza, one of the knitters, says, “We are very happy, we are doing something for someone so they can live.”
To read more about the women who knit parts for hearts on the BBC, visit http://www.bbc.com/news/health-32076070
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