Source: Methodist Hospital
Date: May 11, 2011
Summary:
Houston, TX - A 59-year-old Houston man became the first individual in the United States to enroll in a study using stem cell transplantation during cardiac bypass to treat severe heart failure. Clinician-researchers at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center are investigating whether stem cell infusion, delivered during bypass surgery, will generate new blood vessels and improve heart function more than what is accomplished through bypass surgery alone. The individual underwent a four-hour procedure Tuesday afternoon but because he is enrolled in a single-blind research study, he will not know if he received his own stem cells until study results are released.
