There was a GREAT program on TV last night about the use of stem cells in Germany ("Regenerative Medicine" on PBS' "Innovation Program"). In patients with poor left ventricular function after an acute MI they are taking the patient some time after the AMI when they go into failure and using a balloon obstructing the left anterior artery, thus creating an artifical heart attack for three minutes while they give IV stem stromal cells from the same patient's bone marrow. This tends to circulate the stem cells on the by pass vessels thus spreading them out. Then the balloon obstruction is relieved and 3 months later in the majority of the 300 cases, the patients no longer have symptoms of congestive failure. It has not been approved in the USA yet--work done at Frankfurt.
They also showed shots from Portugal where they are taking stem cells from the nasal mucosa and infiltrating them into injured spinal cords with actual return of formerly paralized limbs. What a show--and what a future! Tx for helping out this coming Sunday on Grand Rounds--none of us are experts in this field--we are all learning--and fast????
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