Stem Cells Help Heal Heart Attack Damage

(RTTNews.com) - Researchers have used a patient's own stem cell tissue to help repair damage done as a result of a heart attack.

When a victim suffers a heart attack the damaged muscle is gradually replaced by scar tissue; however, the replacement scar tissue does not function as well as healthy heart muscle placing the victim at risk for higher heart attack incidence.

But, by using stem cells, researchers have been able to replace scar tissue with live, healthy tissue.

The British Heart Foundation says that the new growth was "unprecedented," adding that it could "be great news for heart attack patients."

The study took place as a joint effort between Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and treated 17 heart attack patients.

Within weeks after their heart attacks the patients had 12 to 25 million heart-derived cells returned into their hearts.

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Stem Cells Help Heal Heart Attack Damage