People suffering from heart disease have been offered hope by a new study that suggests damaged tissue could be regenerated through a stem cell treatment injected into the heart during surgery. The small-scale study followed 11 patients who during bypass surgery had stem cells injected into their hearts near the site of tissue scars caused by heart attacks. One of the trial’s most dramatic results was a 40% reduction in the size of scarred tissue. Such scarring occurs during a cardiac event such as a heart attack, and can increase the chances of further heart failure. The scarring was previously thought to be permanent and irreversible. At the time of treatment, the patients were suffering heart failure and had a very high (70%) annual mortality rate. But 36 months after receiving the stem cell treatment all are still alive, and none have suffered a further cardiac event such as a heart attack or stroke, or had any readmissions for cardiac-related reasons. https://www.theguardian.com/science...al-suggests-damaged-heart-tissue-regenerated? Study: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12265-016-9686-0
