Treatment of Heart Diseases with Stem Cell Therapy

There is no treatment method that directly strengthens the heart muscle other than stem cell therapy. Improvements at different levels were measured in 87% of patients receiving stem cell therapy for heart failure and ischemic heart diseases.

• Stem cells have the ability to treat sick veins when they touch the sick vein wall and they're also used to treat heart failure by turning into heart muscle cells if there is weakness in the heart muscles.
• The number of cells to be administered is determined according to the age and weight of the patient.
• Treatment is carried out using endothelial, mesenchymal stem cells (derived from the patient's own adipose tissue or bone marrow) or fetal stem cells.
• Stem cells are administered intravenously to the patient.

What are Heart Failure and Ischemic Heart Diseases?

Ischemic Heart Diseases

Cells need blood flow to maintain their lives and functions. This blood flow carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removes waste. The lack of blood flow enough to maintain the functions of the cell is called ischemia. In short, it is a decrease in blood flow. Diseases caused by failure to feed the heart muscle for various reasons are called ischemic heart diseases.

Heart Failure

Heart failure is a serious condition characterized with accumulation of fluid in the lungs and different parts of the body as a result of the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. The risk of developing heart failure is increased in conditions such as cardiovascular diseases (eg having a heart attack), high blood pressure, heart valve disease, heart muscle disease or inflammation, and congenital heart disease, which often increase the workload of the heart.

What are the Symptoms of Heart Failure and Ischemic Heart Diseases?

• Shortness of breath
• Coughing or whistling sound when breathing
• Change in body weight
• Swelling of ankles
• Lack of Appetite
• The need to urinate at night
• Tiredness/fatigue
• Dizziness/drowsiness
• Increase in heart rate
• Depression and Anxiety

Causes of Ischemic Heart Disease

The most common cause is the occlusion or constriction of the coronary vessels feeding the heart due to atherosclerosis, known as vessel stiffness in the public. As a result of this occlusion or constriction, the heart cannot take the oxygen and nutrients it requires so the normal functioning of the heart is impaired, which leads to various complaints and symptoms.

Atherosclerosis, i.e. vessel stiffness, is the main cause of complete stopping of blood flow or reduced blood flow. Many factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking result in formation of plaques in the vessel wall over time and loss of elasticity of the vessel. These plaques grow over time, narrowing the vein and can prevent adequate amount of blood from entering the vessel (chronic). Or the plaques are suddenly ruptured and completely occlude the vein (acute).

Ischemia can also be seen as a result of embolism, torsion and compression of blood vessels. Ischemia may also develop as a result of abnormal contraction of the blood vessel without an occlusive mechanical factor.

Ischemic Heart Disease Treatment Methods

Heart disease treatments depend on the type and severity of the desease. Acute disorders such as heart attacks require immediate medical interventions to minimize heart damage. For chronic diseases, physicians may recommend that patients modify their diet, lose weight, exercise (under supervision), practice stress management, and quit smoking. In order to minimize the negative effects on the heart, hypertension and diabetes should be controlled. Heart failure often requires treatment with low-salt diet, medications that improve heart muscle functions, such as digoxin, together with diuretics to reduce the amount of accumulated fluid.

Medications may be necessary to help control heart diseases and treat emerging disorders. Surgical interventions may be necessary to bypass congested arteries, back up defective heart valves, or repair congenital abnormalities. Those who are infected may need to take antibiotics.

Heart Failure Treatment

There is no treatment method that directly strengthens the heart muscle other than stem cell therapy.

Treatment of Heart Diseases with Stem Cells

Stem cells have the ability to treat sick veins when they touch the sick vein wall. They're also used to treat heart failure by turning into heart muscle cells if there is weakness in the heart muscles.

They accelerates the post-operative recovery process by reinforcing the autoimmune system. They accelerate the treatment of heart muscle inflammation and inflammation.

Endothelial stem cells (treating veins) are used for vessel walls. These stem cells are mostly derived from bone marrow. However, mesenchymal or fetal stem cells are used together to treat other factors affecting the disease. In this way, the heart muscle, the general autoimmune system and other factors are treated. This disease can be treated at our GenCell Stem Cell Treatment Center in Kiev, Ukraine.

The number of cells to be administered is determined according to the age and weight of the patient. Treatment is carried out using endothelial, mesenchymal stem cells (derived from the patient's own adipose tissue or bone marrow) or fetal stem cells. The decision is made according to the patient's condition. It is performed in 3 sessions 45 days apart or in 2 consecutive days. They are administered intravenously (by vascular access).

In 87% of patients with cardiovascular disease, various degrees of improvement were observed.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How is ischemic heart disease and heart failure diagnosed?

Laboratory Blood Tests

Biologic markers specific to the heart are proteins that are released when muscle cells are damaged, and are often analyzed in patients with chest pain, chin, neck, abdomen, back pain or pain spreading to the shoulder or arms, nausea, shortness of breath, and dizziness.

Tests:

• Troponin - is one of the most analyzed heart-specific markers. It increases within a few hours after heart is damaged and remains in such levels for up to 2 weeks.
• CK-MB - a special form of Creatine Kinase enzyme, which is mostly found in heart muscle. This enzyme increases when the heart muscle cells are damaged.
• Myoglobin - is a protein that is released into the blood when the heart or other skeletal muscle is injured.
• BNP or NT-proBNP - is released by the body as a natural response to heart failure. Increased BNP levels indicate an increased risk of cardiac problems in patients with acute coronary syndrome, although it is not a diagnostic tool for heart attack.
  Since BNP is also released from the stretched heart, it is also measured to determine whether heart failure exists in patients who have swelling in their legs or abdomen or those suffering from shortness of breath.

More general blood tests may also be requested:

• Blood Gases - analyzed to assess oxygen, carbon dioxide and pH levels.
• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) - a set of tests used to assess organic function
• Electrolytes - four tests assessing the body's electrolyte balance
• Complete blood count - examines body cells, checks for anemia.

Other assessments

A range of evaluations and tests are used to assess chest pain and other signs of disease. For example: Patient history in which risk factors such as age, coronary artery disease, diabetes and smoking are evaluated.

Physical examinations

• Electrocardiogram (ECG) - examines the electrical activity and rhythm of the heart.
• Echocardiography - ultrasonographic imaging of the heart.

Based on the findings of these tests, other procedures may also be necessary:

• Stress Test
• Chest X-ray
• CT (computed tomography) screening
• Continuous ECG monitoring (sometimes called Holter monitoring) - The patient wears a recorder that evaluates the heart rhythm for a certain period of time.
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• PET (Positron emission tomography)
• Radioisotope imaging
• Cardiac catheterization - in this procedure, a thin flexible tube is inserted into a leg vein and advanced to the coronary arteries to assess intra-cardiac blood flow, pressure and condition of the arteries.
• Coronary angiography - this is a method of imaging the arteries using a radiation-proof material during coronary catheterization to help diagnose coronary artery disease.
• Tilt-table testing - it is requested for the evaluation of syncope.

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES:

1. Nguyen, P. K., Rhee, J. W., & Wu, J. C. (2016). Adult stem cell therapy and heart failure, 2000 to 2016: a systematic review. JAMA cardiology, 1(7), 831-841.
2. Sterner, R. M., Sterner, R. C., Brenes-Salazar, J. A., & Aimee, C. (2018). Cellular Therapies for Chronic Ischemic Heart Failure. Hellenic Journal of Cardiology.
3. Yu, H., Lu, K., Zhu, J., & Wang, J. A. (2017). Stem cell therapy for ischemic heart diseases. British medical bulletin, 121(1), 135-154.
4. Rosenstrauch, D., Poglajen, G., Zidar, N., & Gregoric, I. D. (2005). Stem Cell Therapy for Ischemic Heart Failure. Texas Heart Institute Journal, 32(3), 339–347.

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