Design of a composite scaffold for myocardial regeneration following infarction

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Heart disease can take many forms, the most severe of which is myocardial infarction (MI), also known as heart attack. Ventricular restoration (VR) is an approach to treating MI that involves excising the infarction and replacing it with a cardiac patch to restore the heart to a more natural shape. Commercially available patches such as Dacron and ePTFE are passive and do not contribute to the work of the heart once implanted. We propose the design of a new myocardial patch for VR that will induce regeneration and improve long-term heart function. To this end, we have undertaken an iterative design process to develop the required characteristics of such a patch. A composite scaffold design was developed that is composed of an endocardial patch to provide mechanical stability and an injectable filler material that will induce myocardial regeneration. The outcome of this project is the final design of a patch for ventricular restoration that is intended to regenerate myocardium and improve heart function.