According to the American Heart Association, Heart Attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle, or myocardioum, is severely reduced or stopped. The medical term for heart attack is myocardial infarction or MI. The reduction or stoppage happens when one or more of the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle are blocked. This is usually caused by the buildup of plaque (deposits of fat-like substances), a process called atherosclerosis. The plaque can eventually burst, tear or rupture, creating a "snag" where a blood clot forms and blocks the artery, depriving part of the heart of oxygen and nutrients. This leads to a heart attack. If the flow of blood is not restored within a few minutes, the affected muscle cells can suffer permanent damage or die. Patients who suffer an MI often continue to experience degeneration or weakening of their heart muscle which ultimately leads to increased mortality. It is this degeneration that Capricor aims to halt and ideally reverse.

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“Learning about Heart Failure”

The Prevalence of Heart disease is staggering. An estimated 79,400,000 American adults have one or more types of CVD or cardiovascular disease. It is no surprise that deaths due to Heart disease are greater than any other cause of death, meaning that nearly 2,400 Americans die from CVD each day, more than from cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, accidents, and diabetes combines. Within cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease afflicts over 17 million people is the primary cause of Heart attack or MI. Myocardial infarcts strike over 8 million Americans a year often leading to repeated hospitalizations and premature death. Currently, the only effective treatments for heart failure are drugs that block various secondary maladaptive hormonal pathways and devices such as pacemakers that optimize electrical synchrony. The effectiveness of these interventions is limited and sadly, leaves patients with limited options, namely cardiac transplantation or accessory mechanical hearts where the five-year survival rate is less than 50%.