מתוך medicontext.co.il
WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) – Treatment with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) can improve collateral blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease, according to a report published in the October 23rd issue of Circulation.
If the benefits are verified on long-term followup, GM-CSF could be a viable treatment option for patients with advanced heart disease who are no candidates for bypass surgery or coronary angioplasty.
Experimental studies have shown that GM-CSF can induce formation of large interconnecting arterioles. Dr. Christian Seiler and colleagues from the University Hospital in Bern, Switzerland studied GM-CSF's effects in 21 patients with extensive coronary artery disease who were ineligible for bypass surgery. The patients were randomized to receive an intracoronary injection of GM-CSF or placebo followed by subcutaneous therapy every other day for 2 weeks.
Based on the collateral flow index measured before and at the end of treatment, the 10 GM-CSF-treated patients experienced a significant improvement in collateral flow, while placebo-treated patients did not, the authors report.
The number of patients with ECG signs of myocardial ischemia during coronary balloon occlusion decreased significantly from 9 to 5 in the GM-CSF group, while the number increased from 5 to 11 in the placebo group. Significantly more patients in the GM-CSF group complained of side effects, but these events tended to be mild.
"Our clinical study provides proof of GM-CSF's potential to enhance the growth of coronary blood vessels," Dr. Seiler said in a statement. None of the patients have died or experienced cardiovascular-related problems in the short term, and the researchers plan on following the patients for 1 year.
תגובות רוצה להצטרף לדיון?
יש להתחבר כדי להגיב.
התחבראין תגובות עדיין. היה הראשון להגיב!