Stem Cell Treatment Reduces Heart Failure Risk After Heart Attack, Study Finds

Recent clinical research suggests that administering stem cell therapy shortly after a heart attack may significantly lower the risk of developing heart failure in patients with weakened heart function. The study, published in a leading medical journal, involved delivering mesenchymal stem cells directly into the coronary arteries of individuals who had experienced their first heart attack.

Heart attacks can cause substantial damage to the heart muscle, especially the left ventricle, which is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. Although advances in medical intervention have improved survival rates following heart attacks, the incidence of subsequent heart failure has increased. This condition can lead to repeated hospital admissions and reduced quality of life for affected individuals.

The clinical trial enrolled 396 participants, aged between 57 and 59 years, with no prior history of heart disease. All participants had experienced a heart attack that resulted in considerable impairment of heart function. The research was conducted across three teaching hospitals and aimed to assess the potential benefit of stem cell therapy in preventing the progression to heart failure over a period of three years.

In the investigation, 136 patients received an intracoronary infusion of allogenic Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells within a week of their heart attack, in addition to standard medical care. The remaining 260 participants were given standard treatment alone, serving as the control group. Researchers monitored factors such as age, gender, initial heart function, and the presence of other health conditions including diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and kidney issues. Over an average follow-up period of nearly three years, the incidence of heart failure and related hospitalizations was recorded.

The results revealed that patients who received stem cell therapy experienced a lower rate of heart failure, as well as fewer hospital admissions due to heart failure, compared to those who received standard care alone. Specifically, the rate of heart failure among the stem cell group was 2.77 per 100 person-years, compared to 6.48 per 100 person-years in the control group. Hospital readmissions due to heart failure were also reduced, with rates of 0.92 versus 4.20 per 100 person-years, respectively. Additionally, the combined risk of cardiovascular death or readmission for heart attack or heart failure was lower in the group that received stem cell treatment.

While the intervention did not show a significant impact on readmission for heart attacks, death from any cause, or cardiovascular death, improvements in heart function were observed as early as six months after the procedure in the group that received stem cell therapy. This improvement was notably greater than in the group that received standard care alone.

The study's authors noted some limitations, such as the absence of a sham procedure for the control group, which would have enabled a double-blinded design. Furthermore, the study did not evaluate specific biomarkers associated with heart failure or examine the physiological effects of the treatment on heart tissue in detail. Despite these factors, the findings indicate that intracoronary stem cell infusion may offer a valuable supplementary approach for patients at high risk of developing heart failure after a heart attack.

The researchers encourage additional large-scale studies to validate these outcomes and to further investigate how mesenchymal stem cell therapy exerts its beneficial effects. Optimizing the application of this therapy in clinical settings may help reduce the long-term risk of heart failure and improve recovery for patients following a major cardiac event.