Researchers at the University of Bristol in the U.K. funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) have developed ‘stem cell plasters’ to revolutionize the way surgeons treat children living with congenital heart disease, so they don’t need as many open-heart operations.
BY JIM CORNALL
Heart defects are the most common type of anomaly that develop before a baby is born, with around 13 babies diagnosed with a congenital heart condition every day in the U.K. alone. These include defects to the baby’s heart valves, the major blood vessels in and around the heart, and the development of holes in the heart.
Currently, for many of these children, surgeons can perform open-heart surgery to temporarily repair the problem, but the materials used for the patches or replacement heart valves cannot grow with the baby. This means they can be rejected by the patient’s immune system which causes the surgical materials to gradually break down and fail within months or years.
It means a child might have to go through the same heart operation multiple times throughout childhood, which keeps them in hospital for weeks at a time. This impacts their quality of life and causes a lot of stress for the family.
Continue reading… “Stem cell plasters could revolutionize heart surgeries”