A study has found injecting people with chronic heart failure with their own bone-marrow stem cells improves their heart function and prolongs their lifespan. Within three months, the effects of stem cell treatment were evident. The patients were receiving these benefits and continued for the next 5 years.

This is not the first time stem cell research has been shown to help treat heart failure and other heart-related illnesses. However, this study is one of the biggest to date for heart disease and the first to show how treatment can cut the risk of death from chronic heart failure.

One of the most astonishing aspects of stem cell treatment was the lack of risk and it could be used on top of other treatments for chronic heart failure,

For the study, bone marrow stem cells were taken from the top of the patient’s pelvic bone and processed to the lab to allow them to be injected into scarred heart muscle. During the five-year period, seven out of 191 patients died while on the stem cell treatment compared to the 32 out of 200 patients who did not have the treatment. The difference is significant.

Despite positive results, stem cell treatment is far away from mainstream use. The study requires more precise testing because patients knew they were receiving the treatment. If the study wants to be legitimate, the sampling has to be completely randomized to ensure accuracy.