Microplastics Menace - Overlooked in Heart Surgery Patients

Microplastics were found in many heart tissue samples of patients who underwent heart surgery, reports a new pilot study published in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology. This evidence supports the fact that microplastics were unexpectedly introduced during the heart surgery procedures. Plastic use dramatically increased over the past few years. Besides benefits, the consequent plastic waste and mismanagement in disposal have caused ecological problems. Plastic abandoned in the environment is prone to segregation, leading to the generation of microplastics (MPs) and nano plastics (NPs), which can reach aquatic and terrestrial organisms.

Detecting The Presence of Microplastics in Heart Surgery Procedure

Microplastics are plastic fragments less than 5 millimeters wide, or about the size of a pencil eraser. Research has shown that they can enter the human body through mouths, noses, and other body cavities with connections to the outside world (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Microplastics: A Matter of the Heart (and Vascular System)

Go to source).

Once present in the human body, plastic particles can interact with circulating cells, eliciting an inflammatory response. The interaction NPs with plasma proteins allows their transport to distant organs, including the heart.

Many organs and tissues are fully enclosed inside a person’s body, but scientists lack information on their potential exposure to, and effects from, microplastics. So, researchers wanted to investigate whether these particles have entered people’s heart tissue through indirect and direct exposures.

In a pilot experiment, the researchers collected heart tissue samples from 15 people during cardiac surgeries, as well as pre-and post-operation blood specimens from half of the participants. Then analyzed the samples with laser direct infrared imaging and identified 20 to 500 micrometer-wide particles made from eight types of plastic, including polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, and poly (methyl methacrylate) (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Detection of Various Microplastics in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Go to source).

This technique detected tens to thousands of individual microplastic pieces in most tissue samples, though the amounts and materials varied between participants. All the blood samples also contained plastic particles, but after surgery their average size decreased, and the particles came from more diverse types of plastics.

Although the study had a small number of participants, it has provided preliminary evidence that various microplastics can accumulate and persist in the heart and its innermost tissues. They add that the findings show how invasive medical procedures are an overlooked route of microplastic exposure, providing direct access to the bloodstream and internal tissues.

Advertisement

More studies are needed to fully understand the effects of microplastics on a person’s cardiovascular system and their prognosis after heart surgery.

References:

1. Microplastics: A Matter of the Heart (and Vascular System) - (https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/11/2/264)
2. Detection of Various Microplastics in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery - (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c07179)

Advertisement

Source-Eurekalert