Rescue Electrical Conduction of Heart Scar Tissue to Diminish Cardiac Arrhythmia

心脏病发作和心力衰竭是全世界**和加拿大致残和死亡的主要原因。心脏病发作后，肌肉细胞的死亡会在心脏上形成疤痕。这种疤痕阻止了电信号的正常路径，电信号允许心脏以**协调的方式跳动，从而有效地将血液从心脏中排出。此外，被干扰的信号**会引起额外的低效心跳(心律不齐)。有异常传导或心律失常的患者通常需要起搏器，但起搏器对心脏的电刺激会扰乱正常的跳动顺序，导致心脏功能障碍。心脏病发作和电刺激都会导致心脏信号传导异常。**我们将创造新的导电生物材料，修复心脏，并在心脏病发作后正确地传导**电信号穿过疤痕。这种新材料将增强控制心脏跳动的电信号的传输。其目标是恢复**上述心脏病患者协调心脏收缩的正常模式。一种生物材料是一种凝胶，它将被注射到疤痕组织中，以改善心脏的电信号**传播。第二种生物材料是一种膜，它将应用于受损心脏的**表面。我们的新材料是独一无二的，因为它们将促进**电传导，并保持心脏同步跳动。我们将测量凝胶和膜传导电信号的情况，以及它们协调心跳的情况。**我们的目标是为心脏病患者提供一种比目前的治疗方法更有效的新疗法。这种新方法可以让患者回到他们正常的生活方式，并在不需要起搏器的情况下保持活跃。我们提议的研究的总体影响是提高患者的生活质量，并减轻患者和医疗系统的心脏病负担**。

Heart attacks and heart failure are the main causes of disability and death around the world**and in Canada. After a heart attack, the death of muscle cells causes a scar to form in the**heart. This scar stops the normal path of electrical signals that allows the heart to beat in a**coordinated fashion to efficiently eject blood from the heart. In addition, the disrupted signals**can induce extra inefficient heart beats (arrhythmia). Patients with abnormal conduction or**arrhythmias often need a pacemaker, but electrical stimulation of the heart from the**pacemaker disrupts the normal beating sequence and induces dysfunction of the heart. Both**heart attack and the electrical stimulation result in abnormal signal conduction in the heart.**We will create new conductive biomaterials which will repair the heart and properly conduct**electrical signals across the scar following a heart attack. The new materials will enhance the**transmission of electrical signals that control the pumping of the heart. The goal is to restore**the normal pattern of coordinated heart contraction for heart diseases described above. One**biomaterial is a gel that will be injected into the scar tissue to improve the electrical signaling**propagation of the heart. The second biomaterial is a membrane which will be applied to the**surface of the damaged heart. Our new materials are unique because they will facilitate**electrical conduction and keep the heart beating synchronously. We will measure how well**the gel and the membrane conduct electrical signals and how well they coordinate the heart**beats.**Our aim is to provide a new treatment for cardiac patients that will be more effective than**current therapies. This new approach could allow patients to return to their normal lifestyle**and remain active without the need of a pacemaker. The overall impact of our proposed**research is to improve the quality of life for patients, and reduce the burden of heart disease**for both patients and the healthcare system.