By Stephen Beech

A new high-tech "patch" will replace ones made from cow cells currently used to repair damage caused by a heart attack, say scientists.

The three-dimensional patch has been developed by Swiss scientists.

They explained that, following a heart attack, blood flow to the heart is interrupted - and the resulting lack of oxygen can cause damage to the vital organ.

The heart wall can rupture in severe cases, requiring immediate surgical intervention.

Currently, bovine pericardial patches, known as BPPs, are used to repair such heart defects owing to their stability, permeability, and ease of implantation.

But doctors say BPP has "significant" disadvantages.

Not only are they biologically "inert" - meaning they remain foreign bodies in the heart and cannot be broken down -

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