Now, a pump that can help repair your heart

London, September 9 : Small ventricular pumps that are generally fit inside a patient's body to assist his ailing heart in boosting blood circulation can also helpful in repairing the diseased organ, say researchers.

David Bull, a surgeon at the University of Utah's school of medicine, says that ventricular assist devices can culture and deliver stem cells to regenerate the diseased heart.

Cardiac stem cells capable of regenerating heart tissue are naturally found in the blood stream in small numbers.

Bull says that he and his colleagues have developed a pump that can capture and culture these cells, and then inject them into the heart to stimulate repairs.

According to New Scientist magazine, the researchers hope that their approach can enable the regeneration of the heart sufficiently, after which the pump can be removed from the body.

ANI