Heart shrinking trial aimed at combating heart failure to begin

The technique involves electrically stimulating nerves leading up to the heart with the hope it will reduce and size and improve life expectancy
It has already been trialled on rats and dogs who were found to have been kept alive longer
The first patient will be operated on next week by surgeons at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and The Royal Liverpool University Hospital
Heart failure affects nearly one million people in the UK and can be the result of high blood pressure dead heart muscle after a heart attack or a genetic condition

They will fit a device similar to a pacemaker to the vagus nerve which runs to the heart Surgeons said the electrical stimulation should quotprotect the heartquot from the effects of the hormone adrenaline

Dr Jay Wright a consultant cardiologist at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital told the BBC quotWere hoping it will shrink the heart but it might not be to normal sizequot

He said shrinkage quotwould lead to improvement in symptoms we know that the bigger the heart the worse the symptomsquot

Nearly 100 patients will take part in the trial at 30 hospitals around the world
The first will be Carl Jordan who used to be a paramedic He has had several heart attacks which have damaged his heart causing it to become enlarged
He said quotBeing the first person to have this device implanted in Liverpool was a huge decision

quotMy quality of life at the moment is not great because of the restrictions my condition has imposed on me especially the breathing problem as some days this is quite severe and getting worse

quotAnother factor is I have a young family who although I am the one with the illness they too are living with it and see every day what it can do to me so hopefully it will improve my quality of life as well as the lives of

Date : 29 Apr, 2012
Reference : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9233234/Heart-shrinking-trial-aimed-at-combating-heart-

Back to News