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Teenager has dissolvable heart implant fitted in UK first
The biodegradable device lets her heart heal while avoiding a metal implant that could have ended her rugby career, doctors said.
- In June, Lillie Yale, 14, became the first UK patient to receive a dissolvable Memosorb heart implant at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool to treat an atrial septal defect .
- Lillie's mother, Becci Nichols, pushed for an earlier procedure to avoid interrupting GCSE studies after learning a traditional metal implant would force her daughter to abandon rugby.
- Acting as a "scaffold," the biodegradable device allows the heart to repair itself before dissolving into carbon dioxide and water, consultant paediatric cardiologist Dr. Salim Jivanji explained.
- "She is healing absolutely perfectly," Becci Nichols said, noting Lillie has returned to playing rugby, completed a 5k run, and visited Alton Towers since the operation.
- Affecting roughly one to two in every 1,000 babies, ASD requires ongoing monitoring; Lillie Yale now attends check-ups every couple of months to track her recovery progress.
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Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Center
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- 57% of the sources are Center
57% Center
L 43%
C 57%
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