Short Overview on Hearts and Stem Cells

Short Overview on Hearts and Stem Cells

A HealthDay story on Forbes focuses on the use of stem cells to treat heart failure, as discussed at a stem cell conference going on in New York. The article says that so far researchers do not see stem cells as a demonstrated cure, but agree that the research is young and that there have been some improvements in small clinical trials. One physician pointed out that many of the patients who have been treated apparently successfully in Thailand with the Patel method, which delivers peripheral stem cells to the heart via a catheter, were also smokers who quit smoking, which will in itself improve heart function. One of the issues raised in the article that was new to me is an estimated 95% of the stem cells transplanted or injected into the heart are likely to die before they can do their work. The basic thrust of the story was that the indications are promising but significantly more research needs to be done.