LONDON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- British physicians are embarking on a revolutionary study that involves giving heart attack victims an injection of their own stem cells.
The groundbreaking clinical trials will be conducted at two London hospitals: University College and St. Bartholomew's hospitals.
Cardiac arrest patients will be given injections of stem cells extracted from bone marrow taken from their hip to delay or prevent the onset of heart failure, The Times of London reported.
Although limited European clinical and animal experiments suggest the treatment will work, the British research will be the first double-blind clinical trial.
Since stem cells found in bone marrow can develop into a wide variety of cells, it is hoped they will turn into muscle cells, repairing damage occurring from a heart attack or preventing such damage from occurring.
The trial will involve 100 patients, with half receiving the stem cell treatment and half receiving a placebo. Neither physician nor patient will know which is being given.
After two years each patient will undergo an MRI scan to see how well their heart is pumping, The Times said, with quality-of-life assessments determining whether patients given the bone marrow cells are fitter than the controls.
