So, I’ve received this question twice and am guessing that someone out there is really interested.
Simple answer: because Izzie and Denny were in lurveeeee.
Medical answer: LVAD stands for Left Ventricular Assistance Device. Essentially, it’s a mechanical pump that replaces the function of the heart in the short-term. It kept Denny’s heart beating while he waited for a heart transplant, and these devices are commonly used as the “bridge to transplantation”.
Because of Denny’s underlying condition, without the LVAD, he would go into severe heart failure (I’m not sure what his underlying condition was) and him getting a new heart would be a priority, moving him higher up the transplant list. Remember, transplantable hearts are rare, and it is likely Denny would have died before receiving a heart if he were to wait for one with the LVAD keeping him alive.
So, Izzie cuts the LVAD wire to move Denny up the transplant list. This is not a good idea. Denny gets the heart but, in a cruel twist of fate, dies from a stroke and Izzie gets into lots of trouble.
Please, no matter how much you love your patients, ever do this.
-
nicebutconfused reblogged this from mylifeasamedstudent and added:
So, I’ve received this question twice and am guessing that someone out there is really interested. Simple answer:...
-
conceit likes this
-
mylifeasamedstudent posted this
