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22 января 2008

Vitebsk scientists come up with jacket for ill hearts

The Knitwear Manufacture Chair of the Vitebsk State Technological University (VSTU) has designed an original device for supporting the structure of cardiac ventricles of people suffering from cardiomyopathy, head of the chair, candidate of technical sciences Alexander Charkovsky told BelTA. The device was developed in association with the National Cardiology Research and Development Centre. Cardiomyopathy first of all affects the myocard and is manifested as malfunctioning cardiac muscle. With a larger heart as a sign of the disease, the organ does poor pumping resulting in broken blood circulation. According to Alexander Charkovsky, the device is an elastic knitted shell actually wrapped around an ill heart. Bundled with a life warranty, the device has no negative impact on patients. It is made of a human-compliant artificial knitted material. The Vitebsk scientists had come up with both the design of the device and the material to make it. Guided by professor Yuri Ostrovsky, the development took around three years. During clinical testing ten patients had the device implanted. With time the ailing organ’s shape and functions came back to normal. The device has been registered by the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry and patented. According to Alexander Charkovsky, the device costs around $200 — much less than foreign analogues. There are plans to start manufacturing the product at the VSTU pilot plant in the amount required for complicated surgery.

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