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17
Mar 2020
Health experts develop implant that could regenerate a damaged heart
A small electrical device could revolutionise the treatment of heart failure, a condition that currently affects nearly a million people in the UK.
The implant releases an electric current to strengthen and regenerate damaged heart muscle and improve the pumping action, pushing more blood around the body and helping patients to enjoy a better quality of life.
Heart failure occurs when the muscle becomes weak, often as a result of heart disease, irregular heart rhythms, high blood pressure or the damage caused by a heart attack.
Symptoms include feeling permanently tired, breathlessness, and swollen ankles, all worsening over time.
There is no cure, and current treatment involves managing the symptoms, using drugs that widen blood vessels to improve blood flow, surgery to bypass clogged arteries, or heart transplants. Although these can be highly effective, there is a shortage of donor organs.
The new device may help patients who don’t respond to medication and could delay the need for a transplant or avoid the need altogether.
Dr Punit Ramrakha, consultant cardiologist at Hammersmith Hospital, said the implant could be another option for patients with advanced heart failure who haven’t responded to conventional therapy.
Dr Ramrakha went on to say “The risks of the procedure, which requires a general anaesthetic, may well be outweighed by the clinical benefits, and we look forward to seeing the results of the clinical trials.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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