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Stem cells aid heart attack recovery: Lancet Washington: A new study published in the Lancet has revealed that administration of a patient's own stem cells has a significant positive effect on the heart's recovery after a heart attack. Doctors at the Catholic University of Leuven, connected with the University Hospital - Gasthuisberg, the Stem Cell Institute Leuven (SCIL), and the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), are publishing a major breakthrough in the treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction. Their research shows that the administration of a patient's own stem cells has a significant positive effect on the heart's recovery. The
use of stem cells appears to be safe, and to date no side effects have
occurred that can be attributed to the stem cells. This study which was
published in The Lancet reveals that in an acute myocardial infarction,
the flow of blood from a blood vessel in the heart is blocked, whereby
the cardiac muscle receives insufficient oxygen and heart tissue dies.
In many cases, the supply of blood in the deadened portion of the heart
can be restored via the so-called balloon technique. But the heart suffers
permanent damage, primarily to the left ventricle. The researchers in
Leuven have tested the administration of bone marrow stem cells on patients
stricken with acute myocardial infarction. Collaboration among the cardiology,
hematology, radiology and nuclear medicine services yielded an unparalleled
study in which state-of-the-art technology was used to investigate changes
in the left ventricle, blood supply and heart metabolism. Improvement
in the global functioning of the left ventricle was comparable in both
the control group (injected with the placebo) and the group that received
the stem cells. But a clear global improvement in function was found in
the sub- group of patients who had been afflicted with the most serious
infarctions. Moreover, the reduction of the size of infarct was significantly
greater in all patients in the 'stem cell group' and correlates with a
better preserved regional left ventricle function.
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