Transplant drugs ‘can save lives after heart attacks’
DRUGS used for transplant patients could reduce the chance of dying after a heart attack, British researchers believe.
They could significantly limit the damage caused to the organ when surgeons unblock the blood clots that cause attacks.
These clots starve the heart of blood and can cause lasting harm. But the organ is damaged further by chemicals and cells that rush in as blood flow is restored.
Doctors are currently unable to prevent or repair this damage. But they now think existing drugs could substantially reduce the harm. The Newcastle University researchers, whose study was published last night in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, said the treatment could be used on heart attack patients within a few years, because it is already licensed and proven to be safe.
If further tests show the theory works in practice, it could substantially reduce the chance of dying after a heart attack. In tests on 1,377 heart attack patients, the Newcastle team found white
‘Stop chemicals attacking heart’
blood cells were responsible for much of the damage. The cells are activated during an attack and travel into the heart muscle.
Once inside, they can release toxic chemicals that kill off parts of the heart. Normally these cells would be used to fight infection.
Experts think temporarily decreasing a part of someone’s immune system straight after an attack could stop white cells attacking the heart. Surgeons already use drugs such cyclosporin to achieve the same result after a transplant, to stop the body rejecting a donated organ.
Professor Ioakim Spyridopoulos of the Newcastle University Cardiovascular Research Centre said: ‘Our research investigates exactly how we can target heart damage after a heart attack, and suggests drugs that could help.’
Professor Jeremy Pearson of the British Heart Foundation said: ‘This careful clinical investigation suggests we could improve the outcome for the 500 people who go to hospital with a heart attack each day in the UK.’