Abstract
Early results of endoventricular cell transplantation demonstrate that this approach is feasible and safe in the models tested. The procedure is likely to have application in a majority of patients with previous myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure as the risks associated with a minimally invasive endoventricular injection are potentially lower than those linked with direct epicardial injection. The use of 3-D guidance appears to be key in accurately targeting areas that need to be treated, and catheters and cell preparations to be used in humans should be pretested for biocompatibility and safety. While catheter injection of cells is a relatively new innovation, the ability to access the heart without having to perform a median sternotomy will certainly encourage further evaluation of its potential for delivering many therapeutic biologic agents.