Overview
- In the PREVENT-TAHA8 trial of 396 first–heart attack patients in Iran, intracoronary infusion of allogenic Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells given within 3–7 days lowered subsequent heart failure compared with standard care.
- Event rates per 100 person‑years were reduced for heart failure (2.77 vs 6.48) and heart‑failure readmission (0.92 vs 4.20), roughly 57% and 78% lower than controls over about 33 months of follow‑up.
- The intervention improved cardiac function by six months, but it did not significantly change readmissions for another heart attack, all‑cause mortality, or cardiovascular death during the study period.
- Researchers used an intracoronary delivery of umbilical‑cord–derived mesenchymal stem cells to enable early treatment after myocardial infarction.
- Investigators noted limitations including a single‑blinded design without a sham procedure, lack of biomarker and mechanistic assessments, and a cohort skewed toward younger men, underscoring the need for confirmatory and more diverse trials.