By Dr. Brian McDonough

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Just in time for Valentine’s Day: a way to mend broken hearts. Well, not exactly, but it’s very interesting nonetheless.

According to a report in the journal, The Lancet, stem cells can help fight problems associated with heart disease. Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute had a clinical trial that showed that treating heart attack patients with an infusion of their own heart-derived stem cells could help damaged hearts re-grow healthy muscle.

One thing we know about a heart attack is that, when the heart is damaged, a scar is formed and the heart is damaged forever. That’s why it’s so important to do whatever we can not to allow that damage to occur.

According to this information reported in The Lancet, patients who underwent the stem cell procedure demonstrated a significant reduction in the size of the scar left on the heart muscle after a heart attack. This is very important research, because it shows there may be hope for people who have experienced damage.