Abstract
Objective: Bone marrow-derived adult stem cells may be able to regenerate infarcted myocardium.
We initiated a phase-I study of autologous stem cell transplantation in patients undergoing
coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods: Inclusion criteria were: acute myocardial infarction > 10 days ago; presence of a
distinct area of infarcted and akinetic myocardium; CABG indicated to treat ischemia
of other LV wall areas. Stem cells were isolated from bone marrow using a ferrite-conjugated
AC133 antibody, and were injected in the infarct border zone during the CABG operation.
Results: To date, 12 patients were treated without major complications. There is no evidence
of new ventricular arrhythmia or neoplasia. Scintigraphic imaging demonstrated significantly
improved local perfusion in the stem cell-treated infarct area. LV dimensions (LVEDV
140 ± 38 ml vs. 124 ± 30 ml, p = 0.004, paired t-test) and LV ejection fraction (39.7 ± 9 % vs. 48.7 ± 6 %, p = 0.007) have improved. Conclusions: Bone marrow stem cell transplantation for myocardial regeneration can be safely performed
in humans. There is evidence of improved revascularization and contractility of infarct
areas, but controlled studies are needed to clearly determine the clinical benefit.
Key words
Myocardial infarction - coronary artery bypass - stem cells - AC133 - angiogenesis
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1 Presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular
Surgery, Leipzig, February 26, 2003
Prof. Dr. Gustav Steinhoff
Universität Rostock
Klinik für Herzchirurgie
Schillingallee 35
18057 Rostock
Germany
Phone: + 493814946101
Fax: + 49 38 14 94 61 02
Email: gustav.steinhoff@med.uni-rostock.de
