Researchers at Mayo Clinic have found that stem cell therapy can improve the quality of life for patients suffering from heart disease. The findings, based on one of the largest cardiovascular cell therapy trials to date, suggest a significant benefit in both quantity and quality of life for those with advanced heart disease.
Dr. Satsuki Yamada, MD, PhD at Mayo Clinic, shared insights into the study's methodology and results. "Data from one of the largest cardiovascular cell therapy trials, testing a regenerative technology discovered at Mayo Clinic, indicate benefit in both quantity and quality of life in advanced heart disease," she said. Yamada also noted that while "the benefit of regenerative care has been typically evaluated on the basis of clinician-reported outcomes," what sets this study apart is its focus on patient experience: "What's unique in this study is that it was designed to listen to the patient's experience."
Heart failure is a debilitating condition characterized by symptoms such as swollen legs, shortness of breath, fatigue, and an overall strain on daily life. It occurs when damage to the cardiac muscle reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively throughout the body. Each year in the United States alone, over 800,000 people suffer heart attacks. While there are several treatments available for heart failure including diet changes, implantable devices and various medications, Yamada and her team focused their research on stem cell therapy.
In their study, Yamada and her colleagues observed 315 advanced heart failure patients from 39 hospitals across ten different countries. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: one receiving sham treatment (cardiac catheterization without cell delivery), and another receiving cardiac catheterization with cell delivery where stem cells from their bone marrow were programmed to heal tissue and sent to the heart. To avoid bias during this process, both healthcare workers and patients were masked.
The results showed promising outcomes for those who received stem cell therapy. These patients reported better physical and emotional health, and also had lower hospitalization and mortality rates compared to those who did not receive the cell therapy. According to Andre Terzic, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular researcher and lead author on the paper, "In this era of global aging, people live longer, yet are at risk of chronic disease imposing a poor quality of life. Heart failure is an emerging epidemic in need of new healing options. The stem cell-based approach in the present study demonstrates sustained benefit on physical and emotional health in response to biotherapy." Although more trials will be necessary, doctors and researchers are encouraged by these findings.
