'Parachute' in the heart keeps me buoyant

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Charles Kiwanuka, 57, was so weak after a heart attack that he struggled to brush his teeth. Doctors at The Heart Hospital in Marylebone implanted a tiny parachute-shaped device that helps the organ pump properly.

It brings hope to about a million patients at risk of heart failure.

Scar tissue left after a heart attack can weaken the muscle, leaving patients with extreme fatigue and shortness of breath and facing a life on drugs.

Using a thin tube inserted into a vein in the groin, doctors put the parachute into the heart's main pumping chamber. The device was opened and it partitioned off the damaged area. This reduces the size of the chamber so less effort is needed to pump blood.

Mr Kiwanuka, of Stevenage, was discharged the next day. He said: "Brushing teeth left me breathless. I fell asleep in the bath. Now I don't get out of breath doing everyday things." The Heart Hospital is part of University College London Hospitals. The treatment is also being tested at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.