UK’s first dissolvable heart implant lets teenage rugby player keep her dream
A 14-year-old girl in England has become the first patient in the UK to receive a dissolvable heart implant, a procedure doctors say could let
A 14-year-old girl in England has become the first patient in the UK to receive a dissolvable heart implant, a procedure doctors say could let her keep playing rugby. The device was fitted in Liverpool in June to close a hole in her heart about the size of a 10p coin.
A first for the UK
Lillie Yale, from Warrington, had been facing a permanent metal implant after being diagnosed with an atrial septal defect, or ASD, shortly after birth. That would have complicated her path to professional rugby, because a rigid device can be a problem in contact sport.
Instead, surgeons at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust used a new biodegradable device called Memosorb. It was the first time the implant had been used on a patient with ASD in the UK. The hospital secured a special licence from the medicines regulator for the procedure.
The implant is made from biomedical polymers, the same kind of material commonly used in dissolvable stitches. Rather than staying in the body, it acts as a scaffold while Lillie’s heart heals itself over months and years, then gradually disappears.
Why the device matters
Dr Salim Jivanji, a consultant paediatric cardiologist involved in the case, said the new device looks “very similar” to a conventional implant already on the market. The difference, he said, lies in what happens next. A traditional metal device can sit in the heart permanently, while the dissolvable version is designed to leave no trace.
That matters for young patients with active lives. In Lillie’s case, contact sport was central. A permanent device could have ruled out rugby because of the risk of dislodgement from heavy impact and mechanical stress.
The surgery took place in June, but the story did not end there. Lillie’s mother, Becci Nichols, said her daughter is “healing perfectly” and has already run a 5k, visited a theme park and returned to the rugby pitch.
Back on the pitch
Lillie said she was relieved the operation is behind her. “I’m really happy it’s all done now,” she said, adding that it felt amazing to be the first person in the UK to receive the new implant. “I’m enjoying doing the things I love and not having to worry about my heart.”
Her return carries wider significance for paediatric heart care. The use of dissolvable implants could give doctors another option for children and teenagers who need treatment but do not want the limits that can come with a permanent device.
For now, Lillie is back where she wants to be. The next test is less dramatic, but just as important: whether the implant keeps doing its quiet work as her heart heals and the device slowly fades away.
