Stem cells heal heart attack scars, regrow healthy muscle …

Posted: December 4, 2013 at 2:42 pm

In a small study involving 25 volunteers, stem cell recipients had their heart attack scars reduced most dramatically -- on average almost 50 percent -- damaged muscle replaced by new healthy heart tissue. CBS News

In a small study involving 25 volunteers, stem cell recipients had their heart attack scars reduced most dramatically - on average, 50 percent - and damaged muscle replaced by new healthy heart tissue.

CBS News

(CBS) A new study offers an effective way to mend a broken heart: Stem cells.

PICTURES: 7 heart-healthy foods

The study looked at patients with damaged hearts from myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks, and found stem cells reduced the amount of scarring and helped hearts regrow healthy muscle.

"This discovery challenges the conventional wisdom that, once established, scar is permanent and that, once lost, healthy heart muscle cannot be restored," study co-author Dr. Eduardo Marban, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and inventor of the techniques used in the procedure, said in a hospital written statement.

For the study, researchers tested 25 patients, an average of 53 years old, who had experienced heart attacks that had left them with damaged heart muscle. Eight patients served as controls and were treated with conventional treatments including medication, and diet and exercise recommendations. The other 17 patients received stem cells, which researchers derived from raisin-sized pieces of patients' own heart tissue.

The researchers found that patients treated with stem cells experienced almost a 50 percent reduction of heart attack scars within 12 months of treatment, while the eight patients who received conventional treatment saw no reductions in damage.

More:
Stem cells heal heart attack scars, regrow healthy muscle ...

Related Posts

Comments are closed.

Archives