Researchers Improve Safety of Cardiac Patches

A team of Israeli researchers may have improved the safety of cardiac patches, used to replace damaged heart cells but which can cause their own set of problems.

The hybrid cardiac patch created by researchers at Tel Aviv University makes use of fatty tissue harvested from the patient's own stomach, thereby ensuring that the immune system will not attack cells from the patient's body.

In order to ensure that the patch responds to the electric signals from the heart by forming immediate connections, the researchers deposited gold nano particles on the cardiac tissue.

The researchers have found that electrical signals are transferred faster on patches that make use of gold particles when tested in animals, though they admitted that the patch is still some way short of being ready to be tested in larger animals and humans.


Source: Medindia