Holy mackeral, we had to wait for this? Stem cells used to 'heal' heart attack scars" [View all]
Stem cells used to 'heal' heart attack scars
By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News
Damage caused by a heart attack has been healed using stem cells gathered from the patient's own heart, according to doctors in the US.
The amount of scar tissue was halved in the small safety trial reported in the Lancet medical journal.
The authors said there was also an "unprecedented" increase in new heart muscle.
The British Heart Foundation said it was "early days", but could "be great news for heart attack patients".
A heart attack happens when the organ is starved of oxygen, such as a clot blocking the flow of blood to the heart.
As the heart heals, the dead muscle is replaced with scar tissue, but because this does not beat like heart muscle the ability to pump blood around the body is reduced.
Doctors around the world are looking at ways of "regenerating" the heart to replace the scar tissue with beating muscle. Stem cells, which can transform into any other type of specialised cell, figure prominently in their plans.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17012688
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