Stem Cell Heart Repair

[lurker]

Emergency heart attack patients will be injected with their own stem cells in a dramatic new treatment.

The procedure, being pioneered by British doctors, holds out hope of a 'cure' as the stem cells repair damaged heart muscles.

The low-cost treatment, which involves removing stem cells from the patient's bone marrow, could be given within a few hours of a heart attack.

It is intended to stop patients suffering further attacks and developing heart failure, something existing treatments fail to do in many cases.

If the initial trials in London are successful, the treatment is likely to be extended to NHS hospitals across the country.

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The doctors do not yet know whether the injected stem cells will turn into heart tissue and repair the damaged areas.

This is because they are using adult stem cells from the patient's own bone marrow, which are not always very adaptable.

However, trials in other countries on heart patients - though not immediately after an attack - showed that their own stem cells successfully grew into heart tissue. Most medical research uses stem cells from human embryos because these are more adaptable and can grow into any type of bodily material.

Full story: Stem cell cure for heart attacks | the Daily Mail