Fixing holes in the heart without invasive surgery

This animation shows how the novel UV-light enabled catheter can be directed non-invasively through a vein to reach a defect, or hole, in the heart. There, the catheter is pulled back to reveal a small device that uses small expanding balloons to seal off the hole in the tissue. The balloons deploy biodegradable adhesive patches which are cured within seconds by UV light emitted from the device. Then, the device and catheter are gently extracted, leaving the patch in place where it supports tissue regrowth before it biodegrades naturally. (Credit: Boston Children’s Hospital)