According to a study, a surgical procedure called ventricular reconstruction as doctors hoped did not seem to improve the symptoms in people with heart failure. The hope was that by isolating the damaged part of the left ventricle the people would see an improvement in symptoms and exercise capacity, and there would be fewer deaths and hospitalizations as well. Dr. Robert H. Jones, of the Duke Clinical Research Institute and his team randomly assigned 1,000 participants in the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial, to cardiac bypass surgery alone or bypass surgery plus ventricular reconstruction. In Ventricular reconstruction an incision is made in the damaged part of the left ventricle. After the damaged part is identified, the surgeons basically sew the healthy part together. After tightening the sutures a patch is placed over the damaged tissue, leaving the damaged tissue outside the ventricle. During 48 months of follow-up, the researchers found that people who underwent both procedures had 19 percent less end-systolic volume which is the amount of blood left in the ventricle after contraction and before it starts filling again. This compared with 6 percent less volume for those who had just bypass surgery. But, people who had their hearts surgically altered did not show improvement in symptoms, the ability to exercise or a reduction in deaths or hospitalizations for heart problems.