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Skeletal muscle ventricles: another alternative for heart failure
H Niinami1, K Greer, H Koyanagi
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Heart Institute of Japan & Tokyo Women's Medical College, Japan.
Background:
Autologous muscle has the potential of generating power for cardiac assistance. Problems with muscle fatigue have been overcome by the development of successful protocols of electrical conditioning and by allowing a recovery interval after the initial harvest.
Methods:
Our laboratory has pursued research with latissimus dorsi muscle pouches, which we term skeletal muscle ventricles (SMVs). By allowing several weeks for a "vascular delay" interval and then electrically conditioning the muscle, these pouches can be connected to the circulation and stimulated to assist the heart.
Results:
These pouches have been developed and tested in the canine model in numerous configurations, achieving survival beyond 3 years.
Conclusions:
Although still experimental, SMVs may have the potential of becoming a viable alternative for the future treatment of patients with end-stage heart failure and with infants with certain congenital anomalies.