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Stem Cells Offer Promise for Heart Attack Patients

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Results from a clinical trial conducted by Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, CA using stem cells derived from the hearts of heart attack patients shows that the process helps them re-grow healthy heart muscle.

The 25 participants involved in the study, with an average age of 53, had all suffered heart attacks which had damaged their heart muscle. Doctors pinpointed the exact location and severity of the heart muscle damage by having each patient undergo extensive imaging scans. There was a control group of 8 people who received standard medical treatment but no stem cells, who did not experience an improvement in the damaged tissue. The 17 patients who received the stem cell treatment experienced a 50 percent reduction (on average) of the heart muscle scars 12 months after the stem cell infusion. Additionally, those patients also experienced a significant increase in healthy heart muscle following the experimental treatment.

The remarkable results of this study will certainly change the landscape of treatment and outcomes for heart attack survivors.

For more information about this study, visit the Science Daily website.

Photo credit: healthcarenewsblog.com