One of the most exciting current areas of heart research involves finding ways for the heart to grow a new blood supply once the coronary arteries have become blocked up with plaque. This is especially important for patients with blockages that cannot be helped by conventional balloon or bypass procedures.

The heart is actually very good at growing tiny little arteries we call collaterals. These collaterals can act as nature's own bypasses. If one of the heart arteries is completely blocked, one of the other heart arteries will grow these little blood vessels over to the plugged artery.

Unfortunately this is a very slow process and these little arteries often are unable to grow big enough to supply an adequate blood supply to prevent chest pains. Interestingly, daily exercise is one of the best ways to encourage the growth of these collaterals.

Researchers have found several very innovative methods to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. The process is called angiogenesis, literally the growing of new blood vessels.

The way that has been most widely used thus far involves burning hundreds of tiny holes in the heart muscle with a laser. This is a major operation similar to open heart surgery. It is felt that the laser holes cause hormones to produce the new blood vessels. Many patients have reported total relief of their chest pains after this procedure.

Some recent research in animals has involved injecting several hormones directly into the heart muscle. This can be done through a catheter, similar to a balloon angioplasty procedure. These hormones then cause hundreds of small new blood vessels to form very rapidly (in just days).