AN IMPLANTABLE artificial muscle could offer hope for people suffering from atrial fibrillation, a debilitating heart condition that affects millions.
Most heart implants have to be fitted within the heart itself – an invasive and complicated procedure. But the new device, developed in Switzerland, would be fitted to the outside of the heart, applying rhythmic pressure to keep it beating at an appropriate rate – not unlike the cardiac massage used by first-aiders to resuscitate heart-attack victims, but applied automatically from within the body.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart-rhythm abnormality among people over 50. More than two million people…
