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It was once believed that the heart contained no stem cells but this was found to be false, they do exist.A peliminary trial involving patients with heart failure who were having bypass surgery. During surgery a piece of right atrium tissue was removed to cultivate approx 2 million stem cells for each patient. 21 patients were in the trial, 14 given stem cells
and 7 nothing. The 7 patients showed no change, but all 14 with stem cell therapy showed increase in EF from 30% to 38% after 4 months. One of the researchers at Louisville university is Dr Roberto Bolli. The results are very exciting indeed.

[remar]

I just watched a program on this very same thing. Very interesting!

[ed34]

Yes and trials/research like this give a lot of hope for millions of people. I can't wait to see what else stem cell research provides.

[vienna13]

The sad part is: for millions of people it is useless, because they cannot afford it.

[ed34]

Even sadder they don't realise it's more beneficial to give the treatment for free, especially to keep people in work and help the economy.
However, I personally believe they will find a way to activate the normally dormant heart stem cells, so we have a natural repair mechanism in place. Perhaps a drug at birth would be the result ensuring a repairing heart for life.

[remar]

Thank you for posting this. It really is amazing how far medicine has come. My sister had a heart attack 2 years ago and the hospital had no heart unit at all. So, she had to be air lifted to another one to receive her stents. Now, the hospital has a new heart unit and they're doing stents through the wrist!
The program I watched about the stems cells and the man who when through this procedure was amazing. I do believe we'll be hearing much more about this in the next few years.

[Flycaster305]

In my volunteer position I talk with heart patients and their families as I have had a lot of heart procedures, and I often comment that those of us with heart troubles are fortunate compared to those with lung, kidney, liver, etc. troubles, the heart can be repaired.  This stem cell information is exciting to say the least.

[Occupant]

Well, that was certainly short lived. The headline I read to day said: "Economics sink embryonic stem cell effort". ...But this month Geron abruptly pulled the plug on its pioneering trial and the rest of the stem cell business, including early work on treatment for heart ailments.