An experimental research using stem cell therapy helped shrink swollen hearts and gives promising hope for cardiac and non-cardiac patients alike.

In a study funded by the U.S. National Institute of Health, the University of Miami and Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute and Biocardia, stem cells were taken from the bone marrow of patients and were injected to the patient’s heart.

Two types of stem cells were used by the scientists, the mononuclear and mesenchymal. The result proved to be positive even though it was not clear whether one type of stem cell had more of a beneficial impact on heart health than the other.

The research team focused on eight men who suffered from heart attack years prior to their treatment. A significant function recovery has been observed three months after stem cell injection.

It has also been noted that by the one-year point after a single stem cell injection, heart size was reduced to an average of 15 to 20 percent. A reduction of the presence of scar tissue by an average of more than 18 percent has also been noticed.