A recent clinical trial has revealed that bone marrow stem cells have the potential to repair damaged parts of the heart which are caused as a result of a cardiac arrest. As per the study, the stem cells "home in" on the heart's damaged parts, and once there, send out signals that help the body effectively repair the injuries caused.

In animal studies, evidence had been found to point to the fact that stem cells manage to firmly place themselves on the heart and help in producing new, living cells to repopulate the dead cells. The same results have now been founds after a study of humans who had suffered heart attacks.

The study was led by Dr. Joshua M. Hare, Cardiologist and Director of the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Miami. "Stem cell-treated patients had ... significant improvements in heart, lung, and global function. Echocardiography showed improved heart function, particularly in those patients with large amounts of cardiac damage", Dr. Hare explained while sharing the results.

For the sake of research, 53 heart attack patients who had been treated within 10 days of suffering the first attack were enrolled. None of the subjects had undergone, or were advised, a bypass, and about one-fourth of these patients were placed on an inactive placebo, while others got "various doses of the Prochymal cells". Analysis of the data collected led researchers to then reach the study's conclusion.

Details of the research have been published in the December 08 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and enrollment of more heart attack patients is currently on for phase 2 of the trial.