Long-term outcome of a dilated cardiomyopathy patient after mitral valve surgery combined with tissue-engineered myoblast sheets—report of a case

Abstract

Abstract Background Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a life-threatening heart muscle disease characterized by progressive heart failure, which often requires left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation or heart transplantation (HTx). A tissue engineering strategy using cell sheets for end-stage heart failure has emerged in recent years. Case presentation Here, we describe a 50-year-old DCM patient with severe symptoms of heart failure with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) who was not a candidate for LVAD or HTx. The patient underwent mitral valve replacement followed by the transplantation of autologous myoblast sheets. Conclusion The patient’s clinical symptoms improved with a preservation of cardiac performance, and he has survived for over 6 years since the combined surgery. This combined method was feasible and appeared to be effective, and thus represents a promising strategy for treating severe heart failure in end-stage DCM and as an alternative treatment for selected patients who are not candidates for LVAD or HTx.

Keywords

• Cell
• DCM
• Tissue engineering
• LVAD