‘Space hairdryer’ regenerates heart tissue in study

British Heart Foundation associate medical director Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, a consultant cardiologist, said current heart-disease treatment left “much room for improvement”.

“What’s exciting about this trial is that a year later, people who had shockwave therapy to the heart during their operation had better heart function and fewer symptoms than those who didn’t,” she said.

“Bigger and longer trials are now needed to research the long-term effects.”

The researchers expect European regulators to approve the device later this year, with the first use on patients outside clinical trials planned for 2025.

The study was funded by Austrian government departments, the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and a company spun off from Innsbruck Medical University and part-owned by the researchers.