Stem Cells have been discussed as a possible treatment for M.S.
Heart patient's stem cells harnessed for healingPosted: Jan 26, 2012
Some heart bypass patients are receiving cardiac stem cell transplants to try to repair damage.
When someone suffers a heart attack, part of the heart muscle dies and is replaced by a scar. In larger heart attacks, the patient can develop heart failure — a weakening of the heart that leaves the patient short of breath, said cardiac surgeon Dr. Terrence Yau of Toronto's University Health Network.
Yau and his colleagues at Toronto General's Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal are involved in a clinical trial testing the safety, effectiveness and feasibility of injecting stem cells into the hearts of people having bypass surgery.
"This kind of therapy can improve the function and blood flow of hearts that have been injured by heart attacks most commonly and potentially by other means as well," said Yau.
In this patient's case, the stem cells were taken from the bone marrow in the hip and lower back in the operating suite. After four to six hours, the stem cells were isolated, the bypass grafts done and the stem cells injected back into the damaged areas of his heart.
Since 2010, eight patients have also had the experimental procedure in Montreal.
The Montreal and Toronto teams plan to combine their findings once each has results on 20 patients.
No one knows yet whether the stem cell treatment will improve survival or quality of life by healing the heart.
Investigators worldwide are testing whether giving the stem cells sooner after a heart attack makes a difference and experimenting with different procedures.
Source:With files from CBC's Kelly Crowe
'via Blog this'
Some heart bypass patients are receiving cardiac stem cell transplants to try to repair damage.
When someone suffers a heart attack, part of the heart muscle dies and is replaced by a scar. In larger heart attacks, the patient can develop heart failure — a weakening of the heart that leaves the patient short of breath, said cardiac surgeon Dr. Terrence Yau of Toronto's University Health Network.
Yau and his colleagues at Toronto General's Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal are involved in a clinical trial testing the safety, effectiveness and feasibility of injecting stem cells into the hearts of people having bypass surgery.
"This kind of therapy can improve the function and blood flow of hearts that have been injured by heart attacks most commonly and potentially by other means as well," said Yau.
In this patient's case, the stem cells were taken from the bone marrow in the hip and lower back in the operating suite. After four to six hours, the stem cells were isolated, the bypass grafts done and the stem cells injected back into the damaged areas of his heart.
Since 2010, eight patients have also had the experimental procedure in Montreal.
The Montreal and Toronto teams plan to combine their findings once each has results on 20 patients.
No one knows yet whether the stem cell treatment will improve survival or quality of life by healing the heart.
Investigators worldwide are testing whether giving the stem cells sooner after a heart attack makes a difference and experimenting with different procedures.
Source:
'via Blog this'
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