Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death all over the world, especially in the US, where obesity is a major concern. That is why the advent of VentriGel is such a massive moment in cardiac technology.
VentriGel is the product of a University of California San Diego start-up called Ventrix. It is a kind of hydrogel. But what is unique is that it is mixed with cardiac tissue of pigs. So, the gel acts as a colloidal solution in the arteries. The doctors will inject it into patients who had a heart attack in order to repair the damage.
In the trial conducted, they studied the safety and side effects of the gel on 15 volunteers. Twelve of them were male, and the rest of the patients were female. All of them had suffered from a heart attack in the past year. Because of that, they were also suffering from heart failure because of it. The degree of heart failure ranged from mild to moderate in this study.
The VentriGel was shown to be safe to inject via a catheter into the patients. The volunteers also showed some improvement in their heart functioning. They could walk for a longer time without getting tired, and scar tissue seemed to be lessened.
This study is a breakthrough in cardiology. It is the first human-based trial on this type of technology. The company Ventrix is now planning on conducting a bigger experiment with a randomized group of heart disease patients. As VentriGel was classified as safe by the first trial, the focus will now be on the effect of the hydrogel. The second trial will monitor how much the gel helps in repairing heart damage.
Hopefully, all goes well, and there is some good news for heart patients everywhere soon.