American scientists created a “heart patch” that helps repair the heart after a heart attack without surgery
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic (USA) have developed a new way to restore heart tissue damaged by a heart attack. They created a thin “patch” made from heart cells that can be placed on the heart without the need for open-heart surgery.
The patch is made from stem cells reprogrammed from skin or blood cells. These cells are turned into heart and vascular cells and arranged on a thin microfiber base. The folded patch is inserted into the heart through a small incision, where it unfolds and attaches itself using medical glue.
According to tests, the new method:
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improves the heart’s pumping function,
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reduces scar tissue formation,
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stimulates blood vessel growth,
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and decreases inflammation.
Lead researcher Wuqian Zhu explained that the heart normally cannot regenerate after a heart attack, but this new approach allows it to rebuild its own tissue.
Scientists hope that in the future, this technology will help patients who are too weak for open surgery or waiting for a heart transplant. Human trials are expected to begin within a few years.
