The rectus abdominis cardiomyoplastic procedure: preliminary results.

The rectus abdominis myofascial flap (RAMF) was investigated as a viable alternative to the latissimus dorsi flap for dynamic cardiomyoplasty. In human and animal cadaver experiments and live sheep, it was possible to use the RAMF for innervated intrathoracic use. The RAMF was stimulated by a specially designed cardiomyostimulator (Medtronic Inc., Maastricht, The Netherlands). The flap might be promising as an addition to the currently available dynamic cardiomyoplastic techniques.