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A trial using electricity to shrink the hearts of patients with heart failure is about to start in Liverpool. It will involve electrically stimulating one of the nerves leading to the heart, which it is hoped could shrink the heart and improve life expectancy. The technique is being trialled in humans after it was shown to keep rats and dogs alive for longer. This first patient at Liverpool will be operated on in the next few days. The heart pumps blood around the body, and when it fails to do this properly people can become tired and out of breath far more quickly. For some patients it feels like running a marathon when they are only sitting in an armchair. Heart failure affects around 900,000 people in the UK and can be the result of high blood pressure, dead heart muscle after a heart attack, or a genetic condition.