Scientists have developed a robotic sleeve that can help hearts pump when they are failing. <br /> <br />The sleeve - made of material that mimics heart muscle - hugs the outside of the heart and squeezes it, mimicking the action of cardiac muscle. <br /> <br />The early study, published in Science Translational Medicine, shows the concept works on pig hearts. <br /> <br />The British Heart Foundation describes it as a "novel approach" that requires further trials. <br /> <br />'Synchronised movement' <br /> <br />Over half a million people in the UK have heart failure. <br /> <br />It is a long-term condition that gradually gets worse over time. <br /> <br />For people with the illness, the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly - most commonly because cardiac muscle has been damaged, after a heart attack, for example. <br /> <br />Scientists based at Harvard and the Boston Children's Hospital, and in Leeds, say their soft sleeve was inspired by the actions and structure of real heart muscle. <br /> <br />The silicon-based device stiffens or relaxes when inflated with pressurised air. <br /> <br />Fixing it around six pig hearts, scientists found they were able to synchronise the sleeve with each heart's shape and movements. <br /> <br />The study shows the robotic sleeve helped boost the amount of blood being pumped around the body. <br /> <br />And when the hearts stopped beating, the sleeves helped restore blood flow. <br /> <br />Currently, mechanical devices can be implanted in the heart to help it pump. But because they are in direct contact with heart tissue, the body can react to them - leading to the risk of dangerous blood clots. <br /> <br />Researchers argue their sleeve could help cut this risk by "hugging" the outside of the heart rather than being implanted inside it. <br /> <br />But they acknowledge their research is still at an early stage and much longer-term animal studies and then human studies would need to be carried out before it could be used in patients. <br /> <br />Christopher Allen, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "People living with end-stage heart failure are in desperate need of symptom relief, and some will even require a heart transplant. <br /> <br />"We currently don't have enough hearts available to meet the needs of those who require a heart transplant, so we're always looking for innovative new ways to buy time to give people the best chance possible of receiving a new heart and a new lease of life. <br /> <br />"This early research suggests a novel approach to help support heart function, and it will be interesting to see if this translates successfully in human trials in the future."
