A TEAM of Oxford researchers has been given a £94,000 grant to develop a new form of pacemaker for heart failure patients.

The Oxford Heart Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital received the money from national charity Heart Research UK.

Currently pacemakers attach themselves only to the outer veins of the heart, rather than the ventricles within it.

But with the new technique, being developed in Oxford, the pacemaker will go deeper into the heart and help the muscle to pump blood.

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Lead researcher at the centre Dr Timothy Betts said: “One of the main reasons for failure of the current method of re-synchronising the heart is that these veins can be difficult to access or are in the wrong position.

“This new technique has the potential to benefit patients who cannot have, or do not respond to, standard methods of resynchronising the heart, and the project will further investigate the safety and benefits of this new technique.”

Up to a third of patients with heart failure who use pacemakers currently do not improve.

Heart failure is when the heart muscle stops pumping blood around the body effectively.

Director of Heart Research UK Barbara Hapham said: “This project could help heart patients get more successful treatment for their condition.

“At Heart Research UK we fund research that benefits patients as soon as possible.

“This latest grant brings the amount we have funded on research projects in Oxford to over £650,000 over the past 10 years.

“What people raise locally has been spent on projects near you.”