Author(s): Amit N. Patel MD, MS, Luis Geffner MD, Roberto F. Vina MD, Jorge Saslavsky MD, Harold C. Urschel, Jr MD, Robert Kormos MD and Federico Benetti MD
Title: Surgical treatment for congestive heart failure with autologous adult stem cell transplantation: A prospective randomized study.
Summary: This paper addresses autologous adult stem cell transplantation which has been touted as the latest tool in regenerative medical therapy. Its potential for use in cardiovascular disease has only recently been recognized. A randomized study was conducted by the authors using a novel epicardial technique to deploy stem cells as an adjuvant to conventional revascularization therapy in patients with congestive heart failure.
There were 20 patients enrolled in the study. Ten patients had successful subepicardial transplantation of autologous stem cells into ischemic myocardium. The other 10 patients, the control group, only had off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. There were 8 male and 2 female subjects in each group. There were no perioperative arrhythmias or neurologic or ischemic myocardial events in either group.
Autologous stem cell transplantation led to significant improvement in cardiac function in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting for ischemic cardiomyopathy. Further investigation is required to quantify the optimal timing and specific cellular effects of the therapy.
Source: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Volume 130, Issue 6, December 2005, Page 1631