Burning questions in heart failure management: why do surgeons and interventional cardiologists talk of regenerative cell therapy?
That cardiac regeneration is remotely feasible elicits thoughts of curing one of the most debilitating of human diseases. The term stem cell brings to the surface many hopes, and concerns, among physicians and the public alike, both of which have come to expect frequent advances in medical therapeutics. The evolution of public opinion toward embryonic stem cell research is clear and positive, and, unfortunately, overshadows, even confuses, that of adult stem cells, despite their use in essentially all clinical studies of cardiovascular disease to date. Strange, perhaps, that the voices of cardiovascular specialists are not to be heard.
Sherman
Warren
W
College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. ws2157@columbia.edu
Cho
Christina
C
Martens
Timothy P
TP
D000818:Animals; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D032448:Myoblasts, Skeletal / Q000637:transplantation; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000601:surgery; D012038:Regeneration; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome