Implants, tissue engineering and gene therapy offer new hope to cardiac patients, says the American Heart Association.

Looking back at 2001, the American Heart Association pinpoints ten research milestones which will transform the lives of those with heart disease in years to come. For instance, drug-coated stents can help prevent reblockage of coronary arteries. A regular stent opens the artery up again - but in up to 40 per cent of cases, the vessel will get blocked again, making the operation only a short-term solution. The new drugs, shown to be effective in recent clinical trials, stop tissue from re-growing and occluding the artery.

People with heart failure are being helped with implantable pumps - now seen as a long-term solution rather than a 'bridge to a transplant'. And in July, a US citizen became the first to receive an implantable heart, surviving for 151 days. Meanwhile, progress in growing tissue for heart repair has been good - with researchers in Zurich growing new heart valves from the patient's own cells in the laboratory. And the first clinical trial shows that treatment with a gene called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) increases blood flow to the heart in angina patients.

to be continued

Source

American Heart Association December 31 2001