[WATCH]: Would you give your right arm to protect your heart? (22 March 2011)

Lunch Hour Lecture: Would you give your right arm to protect your heart? Professor Derek M Yellon (UCL Cardiovascular Medicine) During a heart attack the cells that make up the muscle of the heart are subjected to a restricted blood supply, this is usually caused by a blood clot or a narrowing of the coronary arteries. If the blood supply is not restored quickly it will result in the death of the heart muscle, and to protect against this injury, blood clot prevention drugs, inflating balloons and artery bypass surgery are all used to restore blood flow as quickly as possible. Paradoxically, however, the very act of restoring such blood flow can also cause a significant amount of heart cells to die. In this lecture, Professor Yellon

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