Doctors invent 'egg whisk' to help heart pump blood during surgery (UK)

"Doctors have pioneered a revolutionary 'egg whisk' to help the heart pump blood round the body during life-saving operations. The device, which rotates faster than a high-speed food blender, could revolutionise surgery to unblock arteries and reduce the risk of organ failure during heart surgery. The ground-breaking procedure involves passing the miniature fold-up whisk through the body and next to the heart. It is then used to clear blocked arteries or to keep blood pumping around the body during heart surgery and so reducing the risk of cardiac arrest or other organ failure, the Times reported. It is inserted via a catheter through the groin shortly before angioplasty - the technique used to mechanically widen an obstructed or blocked blood vessel. It then folds out to form a plastic cage encasing two eight mm blades which can rotate at a speeds of 12,000rpm"