Study to evaluate the use of pelvic bone stem cells to repair damaged hearts

Researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of using stem cells derived from a patient’s own pelvic bone marrow to help improve heart muscle function after a heart attack. “Because stem cells are immature cells they have the potential to develop into new blood vessels and preserve cardiac muscle cells,”  Vijaykumar S. Kasi, principal investigator for the clinical trial at Orlando Regional Medical Center, said. “By infusing certain stem cells into the area of the heart muscle that has been damaged from a heart attack, tissue can be preserved and heart function restored.” A new randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of infusing stem cells from bone marrow into the artery of the heart that may have caused a patient’s heart attack. Participants will all have had a stent inserted to open a blocked artery after a history of heart attack.