Novel liquid drug used successfully in a heart attack patient

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDApr 29 2012

According to doctors at the Northern Hospital in Epping a new liquid-based treatment for sufferers of heart attacks could substantially improve patient recovery.

They did the first procedure of its kind by injecting the dissolvable liquid device into a patient - a Victorian grandmother. The device flows to the damaged heart muscle and helps it repair. The liquid is derived from seaweed and was injected into Pauline Fulton's heart, a fortnight ago, two days after she suffered a major heart attack.

The director of cardiology, Professor Bill van Gaal, explained, “Many who suffer major heart attacks later died of heart failure after their heart became enlarged as it compensated for the damaged part. But it was hoped the liquid, called bioabsorbable cardiac matrix, would prevent the heart from enlarging, and heart failure from developing, he said. In the 30-minute procedure Prof van Gaal injected 4ml of the “liquid device” into the blocked artery and it was absorbed by the damaged heart muscle. “It then formed a gel which acted as a scaffold that supported the heart muscle as it recovered and prevented the organ from getting bigger,” he said. After six weeks, the liquid device - which had no side effects - would dissolve and would then be excreted from the body through the kidneys.

“Standard treatment was to give patients tablets to prevent their heart from enlarging but they were not always effective,” Prof van Gaal said. “This is a completely novel approach which could herald a big change in the way we treat patients, and significantly improve their outcomes.”

Professor Gaal said the patient is recovering well but it will not be clear for some time if the device is responsible. “It won't be until the clinical trial has finished whether we know whether people who receive the device do better or not, but certainly the early work looks very encouraging,” he said. He said the new treatment is being trialled around the world to combat the “epidemic” of heart failure. “The number one cause of heart failure is heart attack so the number of patients who could benefit from this treatment is very large,” he said. “This would really revolutionise the treatment of heart failure should it prove successful.”

A second patient also had the procedure performed at the Northern Hospital yesterday. “It could be routine treatment within three years,” Prof van Gaal added.

The study is being funded by Ikaria Inc, the company that has created DCM. Associate Professor van Gaal said he was not associated with the company.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about 55,000 Australians suffer a heart attack each year, or about one every 10 minutes. In 2010, 9,938 Australians died from a heart attack, an average of 27 people each day.