Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Failure Is Promoted Directly to Consumers

Despite the theoretical promise of stem cell therapy for heart failure (HF), the treatment has not been efficacious in clinical trials and has not been approved by the FDA. These facts have not discouraged direct-to-consumer promotion by “stem cell centers” of the therapy for cardiac regeneration. To learn more, investigators used scripted telephone surveys with staff at these centers.

Of 61 U.S. centers offering HF therapy in 2016 that were identified with a published database, 30 were in operation and responded to the survey; half were located in California (8), Florida (4), or New York State (3). Only 9 sites required patients' medical records, and fewer (6) required a note from a cardiologist. The mean cost for one treatment was $7,694 f…