Abstract 16655: Bone Marrow Cell Therapy in Patients With Ischemic Heart Disease: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Using Cardiac MRI

Introduction: The results from clinical trials of bone marrow cell (BMC) therapy in ischemic heart disease (IHD) have been discordant with regard to left ventricular (LV) functional improvement. This discrepancy has been attributed, in part, to the use of dissimilar cardiac imaging modalities. MRI is the gold standard for assessment of cardiac structure/function. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that BMC therapy will improve LV parameters in patients with IHD when assessed by cardiac MRI. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of BMC therapy in patients with IHD that used cardiac MRI. Database searches through May 30, 2015 identified 27 eligible RCTs (enrolling 1826 patients). The MRI data on LV ejection fraction (EF), infarct size, LV end-systolic volume (LVESV), and LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) were analyzed with random-effects meta-analysis. Clinical outcomes were analyzed using Peto odds ratio (OR). Results: Compared with standard therapy, BMC therapy improved LVEF (1.62%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.49 to 2.75; P=0.005) and reduced LVESV (-2.00 ml; 95% CI: -3.19 to -0.82; P=0.0009). The improvement in LVEF was similar in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and chronic IHD. Perhaps more importantly, BMC therapy was associated with reduced incidence of recurrent MI (OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.78; P=0.007) along with substantial improvement in other outcome parameters, including mortality (Table). However, these changes did not reach statistical significance perhaps due to smaller patient numbers. Conclusions: These results from meta-analysis of RCTs using cardiac MRI indicate that BMC therapy improves LV function and outcomes in patients with IHD. These data may help resolve the controversy regarding whether the reported benefits of BMC therapy are dependent on the selection of imaging modalities.