All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
A new product: a heart attack patch.
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Scientists have invented a special cardiac patch, which is a functioning muscle element made from living human stem cells. Presumably, in the future, such a patch will be used to speed up and optimize the recovery of patients who have suffered a heart attack.
Representatives of the Imperial College London announced their invention during the Manchester Cardiology Conference. Scientists assure that their research on mammals (namely, on rabbits) has demonstrated optimistic results. Testing of the patch on humans is expected to be carried out in the near future.
What is the invention? It is an elastic element measuring 20 by 30 mm, which is nothing more than a functioning muscle. The element produces chemical compounds capable of restoring damaged cellular structures of the heart.
According to statistics, in the UK alone, heart failure is diagnosed in more than 900,000 patients each year. An exacerbation occurs if a blocked arterial vessel blocks the flow of blood to the myocardium, preventing it from receiving oxygen and nutrition. In this condition, the heart's activity is disrupted, the blood pumping process is disrupted, which causes irreversible changes in the heart and the development of heart failure.
"We expect to be able to supplement conventional cardiac therapy with the patch in the near future. We are confident that healthcare professionals will soon be able to routinely prescribe the patch to patients who have had some degree of heart attack," says one of the team, Professor Richard Jabbour. "Doctors will be able to prescribe the patch to all patients along with other medications used to treat heart failure, and specially trained healthcare professionals will be able to apply it."
According to statistics from the World Health Organization, cardiac pathologies have long been the main factor in the lethal outcome of patients all over the world. Every year, cardiovascular pathologies take the lives of seventeen million people. More than seventy-five percent of fatal cases are noted among the population of countries with low and medium living standards and incomes.
In 70% of cases, the population of our country dies due to the same cardiovascular diseases.
Patients diagnosed with heart and vascular diseases, or those with a high risk of developing such pathologies, require the earliest possible detection and treatment of cardiac problems. Perhaps a heart attack patch could come in handy. Experts are still silent about the likely cost of this product.
Information is available on the BBC website (www.bbc.com/news/health-48495313?fbclid=IwAR1TsnHfQPcy_oOoOBwU148OsU8cZX9fCINjau3IlUn0s6-rJdst36tBvmU).