It has emerged that scientists are revolutionizing treatment of cardiovascular disease by using patients' own stem cells to regenerate heart and vascular tissue.
"For some patients, their cardiovascular disease is advanced to the point that standard treatment options are not effective. Regenerative cardiovascular medicine strives to redevelop cardiac and vascular tissue and stimulate new blood supply to areas like the heart and legs by using stem cells already present in the patient's body," Losordo added.
Losordo's limb preservation study examined the effectiveness of stem cell therapy in limb preservation for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). CLI develops in patients with severe obstruction of the arteries, which limits blood flow to the extremities. CLI results in more than 100,000 amputations annually in the United States.
The phase II, double-blind placebo controlled trial had a total of 28 patients randomized at 18 U.S. sites. The patients enrolled in this study were Rutherford class 4 and 5, meaning they were in the later stages of peripheral artery disease and at heightened risk for amputation. Patients in the randomized group had CD34 injected at eight locations in the ischemic limb and were followed for 12 months.
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Source-ANI
