Scientists at the University of Arizona made a huge discovery. They found that some patients with artificial hearts can regrow heart muscles. This is big news because heart failure affects nearly 7 million adults in the U.S. each year and causes 14% of deaths. Right now, the only option for severe heart failure, besides a transplant, is a pump called an left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that helps the heart pump blood.
Dr. Hesham Sadek, the director of the Sarver Heart Center, said that “Skeletal muscles can heal themselves when you rest. But heart muscles were thought to never grow back if they got hurt.” This study showed heart muscles can regenerate. They used tissue from artificial heart patients and carbon dating. They found that these patients grew new heart cells six times faster than healthy hearts.
Sadek also said, “Our findings show strong evidence that human heart muscle cells can grow back.” This could lead to new treatments for heart failure. In his previous studies, he found that heart muscle cells stop dividing soon after birth. His 2011 research showed that cells divide actively in babies before birth.
In 2014, Sadek noticed some patients with artificial hearts might have been regenerating because their hearts got to rest. Some patients even had their devices removed after their symptoms got better.
Next, Sadek wants to find out why only about 25% of patients can regrow heart muscles. “We’re not sure why some patients can regenerate heart muscle and others can’t,” he said, “But if we figure it out, we could possibly cure heart failure.” This research offers hope for the future of heart failure treatment.
