Health news: Royal Free claim heart disease breakthrough
High-tech artificial artery set for trial in bid to beat condition that kills hundreds every year
EXPERTS at the Royal Free Hospital believe they are winning the fight against Camden’s biggest killer.
The team of researchers have been awarded a £500,000 grant from the Wellcome Trust charity to trial state-of-the-art techniques for tackling coronary artery disease.
In a world first, special vibrating artificial arteries developed in the Hampstead hospital will be implanted into the first batch of Camden patients later this year.
Coronary artery disease occurs when the crucial arteries which transfer oxygen-rich blood into the heart, clog, harden and narrow before rupturing and causing a heart attack.
The current surgical treatment is to bypass the damaged vessel using a plastic graft or a vein taken from the patient’s leg – but these grafts do not “pulse” like a real artery and lead to further ruptures.
Royal Free professor of vascular surgery George Hamilton said: “There is a high failure rate using these rigid small-diameter bypass grafts. Many patients who have needed smaller bypass grafts but have not had suitable veins, have had limbs amputated and some patients unable to have coronary bypass surgery have had heart attacks and died.
“We have used nanotechnology to develop this material to mimic as closely as possible the natural artery.
“Nanotechnology involves incorporating single microscopic molecules that have important effects on the circulation into the graft material.
“The new micro-graft pulses rhythmically to match the beat of the heart. As well as this, the new graft material is strong, flexible, resistant to blood clotting and doesn’t break down – which is a major breakthrough.”
The team also discovered that coating the inner lining of the artificial arteries with molecules, using nanotechnology, stimulated stem cells that strengthen them.
“This will be hugely beneficial to patients in the NHS as we will be able to reduce heart attacks, reduce amputations and ultimately save lives,” Professor Hamilton added.
Coronary artery disease is caused by lack of exercise, alcohol, stress and poor diet – it is most likely to occur in obese men aged over 60 and women over 65.
Around 4,200 people in Camden are diagnosed with it every year with about 250 related deaths.
For more information about healthy eating or to find out what initiatives are taking place locally contact Camden’s Healthy Eating Team on 020 3317 3317 or email: eatingwell4life@nhs.net
TOM FOOT