The tiny tablet that baby heart patients can swallow - dispersing in saliva to help lower blood pressure and bolster blood flow By Joan Mcfadden For The Daily Mail Published: 20:27 EDT, 8 July 2024 | Updated: 20:40 EDT, 8 July 2024 e-mail View comments A mini tablet that dissolves in the mouth in six seconds could radically improve the treatment of heart failure in babies and young children. The tablet measures just 2 mm across — barely the width of a peppercorn — and contains the commonly used drug enalapril, which lowers blood pressure and bolsters blood flow to the heart. It can be popped into the mouth without the child noticing, such as while they sleep, where it disperses in saliva before being swallowed.
Researchers hope the fast-disappearing tablet — called Aqumeldi — will improve compliance among younger children with heart failure who struggle to swallow pills, leading to fewer symptoms such as breathlessness and slow growth. Around 1,400 babies a year in the UK develop heart failure, where the heart becomes too weak to pump blood around the body. The tablet measures just 2 mm across — barely the width of a peppercorn — and contains the commonly used drug enalapril (Stock image) Around 1,400 babies a year in the UK develop heart failure, where the heart becomes too weak to pump blood around the body (Stock image) This is almost always due to congenital birth defects, such as structural abnormalities in the heart which mean it's not able to circulate bloo.
