Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Stem cell treatment improves heart blood flow in dogs
By Sousa, Marlos G et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2011·The Federal University of Tocantins State (UFT), Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cardiac function in dogs with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation into the coronary arteries.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 5 dogs with heart problems caused by chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy received a treatment involving their own bone marrow stem cells injected into their coronary arteries. Over six months, the dogs showed improvements in heart function, particularly in how well blood flowed from the heart. While there were no changes in blood pressure or heart rhythm, some important heart performance measures improved significantly after the treatment. This suggests that stem cell therapy could help dogs with this specific heart condition, although more research is needed due to the small number of dogs involved.
People also search for: dog heart problems treatment · Chagas cardiomyopathy in dogs · stem cell therapy for dog heart disease
Abstract
This study assessed the effects of a single intracoronary injection of autologous stem cells on the cardiac function of dogs with Chagas cardiomyopathy. Bone-marrow-derived stem cells were delivered into the right and left coronary arteries of 5 mature dogs with mildly compromised cardiac function due to chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy. Blood pressure and electrocardiographic and echocardiographic parameters were recorded at monthly intervals for 6 mo in the 3 dogs that survived. Although no changes were observed in the electrocardiogram and blood pressure, there was a significant increase in peak velocity of aortic flow 3 mo after stem cell transplantation. Pre-ejection period, isovolumic relaxation time, and the Tei index of myocardial performance were reduced significantly 4 mo after the procedure. All significant changes persisted to the end of the study. The results suggest that the transplantation of autologous bone-marrow-derived stem cells into the coronary arteries of dogs with Chagas cardiomyopathy may have a beneficial effect but the small number of dogs studied was a limitation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22294793/