Autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell transplantation in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting

Background Recent studies have shown that autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell (aBM-MNC) transplantation can be effectively performed in human beings either by the coronary route or by endoventricular injections. However, scanty data are available for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of aBM-MNC transplantation in patients with recent myocardial infarction undergoing CABG. Methods and Results The study population included 36 consecutive patients with recent myocardial infarction ( 6 aBM-MNCs was injected in each patient. When compared with control subjects, transplanted patients showed higher values of troponin I peak after CABG (median values of 1.65 ng/mL vs 0.64 ng/mL, P P P Conclusions Our data support the idea that direct injection of aBM-MNCs in the myocardium during CABG is feasible and safe. Larger studies are needed to assess the efficacy of such an approach in patients undergoing CABG.