Potential and application prospects of combined treatment of acute myocardial infarction with hydrogel cardiac patches and traditional Chinese medicine

• Hydrogel cardiac patches provide ideal mechanical support and a biomimetic microenvironment for myocardial repair, enhancing stem cell therapy efficacy. • TCM-modified hydrogels can promote stem cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and homing, offering synergistic benefits for cardiac regeneration. • Current applications include precise drug delivery of TCM active ingredients, stem cell delivery via TCM-modified patches, and conductive hydrogels for electrophysiological repair. • Future research should explore diverse hydrogel materials and TCM formulations to optimize combined therapeutic strategies for myocardial infarction.