In this short video, Professor James Leiper, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation talks about the latest stem cell developments to repair and regenerate heart tissue.

When a person has a heart attack, their blood and oxygen levels are cut off from the heart. This causes muscle cells and heart tissue to die. The latest global statistics show 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular disease in 2019 (latest data available from the World Health Organization) with more than 523.2 million people in the world living with cardiovascular disease. 85% of those deaths were due to heart attack. These figures represent a 32% of all global deaths and a 17.1% increase in the past decade with these figures only on the increase. Recent studies (reference: Ziyad Al-Aly Washington University 2022) show even a mild case of COVID causes a substantial rise in the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. For those who survive a severe heart attack and are on the waiting list for a heart transplant, this procedure comes with many risks including finding a suitable donor match and the complexity of the surgery itself.

Click video link to hear the latest from Doctor Leiper.

https://www.euronews.com/embed/1963606