A new study from the American Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute indicates that a stem cell infusion may be the most effective treatment for a common type of heart failure. The result of the study has led to the FDA approving human trials in the future.

The results of the study were recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology Basic and Translational Science. The researchers showed that in animal tests, a stem cell infusion of cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) helped return heart-pumping function to normal in a few weeks. 

The common type of heart failure successfully treated by the stem cell infusion is called diastolic heart failure. It occurs when the heart muscle becomes very stiff, limiting its ability to pump blood. In this state, the heart muscle cannot fill the pumping chambers with blood and the body becomes congested with fluid. This results in the patient experiencing swelling of the extremities, difficulty breathing and extreme fatigue.

More than half of patients with heart failure have diastolic heart failure, also called “heart failure with preserved ejection fraction”. It is common in patients who are suffering from other health conditions like diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

This medical breakthrough is particularly important because of the large numbers of people suffering from this form of heart failure — approximately 3 million people in the United States have diastolic heart failure.

The stem cell infusion can generate new, healthy tissue in the heart and restore function. Researchers suspect the treatment may also work with other forms of heart failure. 

This discovery is also important because patients with this type of heart failure tend to get sicker over time and are forced into taking strong medications to remove fluid from their body.

Source: Stem Cell Infusion Could Be Effective For Most Common Type of Heart Failure

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