This heart patch does not require stitches - Read

This is being done to improve the conduction of electrical impulses across heart tissue damaged during a heart attack.

New Delhi: Researchers have made a new polymer patch that can be fitted to the heart without the need of stiches.

This is being done to improve the conduction of electrical impulses across heart tissue damaged during a heart attack.

Heart attacks create a scar, which slows and disrupts the conduction of electrical impulses across the heart.

"This leads to potentially fatal disturbances of the heart rhythm. Our electrically conducting polymer patch is designed to address this serious problem," said Sian Harding, Professor at Imperial College London.

The new stitch-less patch is stable and retains conductivity in physiological conditions for more than two weeks, compared with the usual one day of other designs.

"No stitches are required to attach it, so it is minimally invasive and less damaging to the heart, and it moves more closely with the heart's motion," said lead Damia Mawad at University of New South Wales in Sydney.

The patch is made to adhere to the heart tissue by shining a green laser on it.

The team tested the patch by implanting it into rats. They found it improved the conduction of electrical impulses across the heart scar tissue.

(With IANS inputs)