Overview
- Among 396 patients with a first myocardial infarction, those given allogeneic Wharton's jelly–derived mesenchymal stem cells within 3–7 days had a substantially lower incidence of heart failure over about 33 months than those on standard care alone.
- The intervention group showed a roughly 57% reduction in heart failure risk and a 78% lower rate of heart‑failure hospital readmissions compared with controls.
- Cardiac function improved more from baseline at six months in the treated group, indicating a short‑term functional benefit beyond standard therapies.
- No significant differences were seen for recurrent heart‑attack readmissions, cardiovascular deaths, or all‑cause mortality during follow‑up.
- Researchers note the study was single‑blinded without a sham procedure and enrolled mostly men aged 18–65, underscoring the need for larger, double‑blind, more diverse trials with mechanistic endpoints.