What is heart scar tissue?
Heart scar tissue is what usually forms after a heart attack, when part of the heart muscle goes without oxygen and gets damaged. According to the book Beyond Stem Cells, the scar holds the heart together but does not squeeze, so the healthy heart muscle tissue has to work harder. Researchers are studying ways to support repair.
Key points
- Heart muscle has limited repair ability, the book says, unlike skin or liver, which heal pretty well.
- What can cause scarring of the heart? A heart attack: an artery gets blocked, part of the heart goes without oxygen, and that area gets damaged.
- Instead of growing new muscle, the damaged area usually forms heart scar tissue.
- Is scar tissue on the heart dangerous? The scar holds the heart together but does not squeeze. Over time the extra strain on the rest of the heart can lead to heart failure.
- Cardiac muscle function depends on cardiac muscle structure: cells lined up just right so the heart squeezes well.
- Standard care, such as medications, procedures and devices, is really important for stabilizing things, the book says. It is more about protecting what is left than rebuilding.
- The book says the first several weeks after a heart attack are the main healing phase, when the heart is deciding between scar and working muscle.
- Researchers are studying growth factors, mesenchymal stem cells and scaffolds. The book says much of this is still largely investigational.
- It all works better inside a full cardiac rehab plan: structured exercise, eating to calm inflammation and managing stress.
Healing After a Heart Attack
Read the full transcript · Download the MP3 · Voices are AI-generated from a script based on the book.
Why heart muscle tissue heals differently
Skin heals pretty well. Liver too. But the book says heart muscle has pretty limited repair ability, and that shapes everything that happens after a heart attack.
What happens during a heart attack
A heart attack is when an artery gets blocked and part of the heart does not get oxygen. That area gets damaged. Instead of growing new muscle, it usually forms a scar.
What is heart muscle called?
Heart muscle is called the myocardium, and its muscle cells are called cardiomyocytes. The book explains that these cells are lined up in a very specific pattern so the heart can squeeze well. When part of the myocardium is damaged in a heart attack, the area usually forms scar tissue instead of new muscle.
What is scarring of the heart called?
The book uses the word fibrosis for the build-up of non-contracting scar tissue in the heart. It describes the damaged area forming this scar instead of working muscle.
Cardiac muscle structure and function
Heart muscle has a very specific structure, with cells lined up just right so it squeezes well. That is what lets the heart pump blood all day, delivering oxygen and nutrients and carrying away waste.
Is heart scar tissue dangerous?
Heart scar tissue holds the heart together, which matters, but it does not squeeze like healthy heart muscle. The book explains that the rest of the heart has to pull harder to make up for it, and that this extra strain over time can lead to heart failure. Standard cardiology care focuses on protecting the muscle that is left.
The rowing team picture
Think of a team rowing a boat. After a heart attack, some rowers just sit there. Everybody else has to pull harder, and that wears them out. Over time, the book says, that extra strain can lead to heart failure.
How it is normally treated
Standard care uses medications that thin the blood, lower blood pressure and take load off the heart, procedures to get blood flowing again, and devices if needed. The book says these are really important for stabilizing things. They are just more about protecting what is left than rebuilding.
Does heart scar tissue go away?
The book describes heart scarring as hard for the body to undo on its own, because heart muscle has such limited repair ability. That is why researchers are studying ways to support repair, especially in the weeks right after a heart attack. This goes alongside your regular doctor's care, not instead of it.
What researchers are studying for heart repair
Regenerative medicine is trying to support the repair: grow new blood vessels, calm inflammation and help healthier tissue form. The book is clear that much of this is still largely investigational and works alongside regular cardiology care.
Timing and the border zone
The book says the first several weeks after a heart attack are the main healing phase. That is when the heart is sort of deciding whether a spot becomes scar or whether some working muscle can be saved. The edge between damaged tissue and healthy muscle is what the book calls the border zone.
Growth factors: IGF and VEGF
Growth factors are natural signals your body already makes, little notes that say grow, repair, survive. According to the book, IGF may help keep cells in the border zone alive so the damage does not spread as much. VEGF is all about new blood vessels, like building a detour around a blocked road.
Mesenchymal stem cells and inflammation
MSCs release many of those same kinds of signals. The book says they help calm inflammation and support new vessel growth. Short-term inflammation helps healing, but the long-running kind can keep damaging the heart, so the book calls it a double-edged sword. The goal is to turn it down, not off.
Scaffolds
A scaffold is like a trellis in a garden. It gives new cells something to grow along in the right pattern. Some are gels that can be injected, and some slowly dissolve as new tissue forms.
What a person can do: cardiac rehab
The book says all of this works better inside a full cardiac rehab plan.
- Structured exercise, slowly building up.
- Eating to calm inflammation, such as omega-3s and antioxidants.
- Managing stress: fight-or-flight mode can get in the way of healing, so practices like meditation and guided imagery can help.
These ideas go alongside the care you already have. Talk to your own provider before making changes.
Chapter 9 in one line
The heart does not heal itself easily, so the goal is to support repair alongside the care you already have.
Episode 9 transcript.
Read along, or skim the parts you care about most.
EliseOkay so, chapter nine. And this one's about the heart. Which feels like a big one.
GuideIt is a big one. Pretty important organ.
EliseJust a little. Okay, so start me off. Why is the heart different from, like, a cut on my hand?
GuideSo skin heals pretty well. Liver too. But heart muscle? The book says it has pretty limited repair ability.
EliseHuh. So what happens after a heart attack?
GuideSo a heart attack is when an artery gets blocked and part of the heart doesn't get oxygen. That area gets damaged.
EliseOkay.
GuideAnd instead of growing new muscle, it usually forms a scar.
EliseIs a scar bad? I mean, at least it's patched.
GuideRight, and that's the thing. The scar holds it together. But scar tissue doesn't squeeze.
EliseOh.
GuideSo think of a team rowing a boat. Some rowers just sit there now. Everybody else has to pull harder.
EliseAnd that wears them out.
GuideExactly. Over time, that extra strain can lead to heart failure.
EliseOkay, so how's it normally treated?
GuideMedications that thin the blood, lower blood pressure, take load off the heart. Procedures to get blood flowing again. Devices if needed.
EliseMm-hm.
GuideAnd the book says those are really important for stabilizing things. They're just more about protecting what's left than rebuilding.
EliseSo regenerative medicine is trying to rebuild?
GuideIt's trying to support the repair. Grow new blood vessels, calm inflammation, help healthier tissue form. And the book is clear it works alongside regular cardiology care. Not instead of it.
EliseGood. Is there, like, a best time for it?
GuideYeah, timing comes up a lot. The book says the first six to eight weeks after a heart attack are the main healing phase.
EliseWhy does that matter?
GuideBecause that's when the heart is sort of deciding. Is this spot gonna be scar, or can some working muscle be saved?
EliseWhoa. Okay.
GuideAnd there's this area the book calls the border zone. The edge between damaged tissue and healthy muscle.
EliseLike the edge of a burn mark.
GuideYeah, kind of. And one growth factor, IGF, may help keep the cells in that zone alive. So the damage doesn't spread as much.
EliseWhat's a growth factor again?
GuideNatural signals your body already makes. Little notes that say, grow, repair, survive.
EliseGot it. Any others?
GuideVEGF. That one's all about new blood vessels.
EliseWhy does the heart need new ones?
GuideSo if the old road's blocked, you build a detour. New vessels can route blood around the damaged ones.
EliseOh, I like that. A detour.
GuideAnd stem cells, especially MSCs, release a lot of those same kinds of signals. The book says they help calm inflammation and support new vessel growth.
EliseWait, but isn't inflammation part of healing? Like, that's the body's first responders.
GuideYes! Good memory. Short-term, it helps. But the long-running kind can keep damaging the heart. The book calls it a double-edged sword.
EliseSo you want to turn it down, not off.
GuideExactly. And MSCs seem to do that without shutting down the whole immune system.
EliseOkay, the book also talks about scaffolds? That sounds like construction.
GuideIt kind of is. Heart muscle has a very specific structure. Cells lined up just right so it squeezes well.
EliseOkay.
GuideSo a scaffold is like a trellis in a garden. It gives new cells something to grow along, in the right pattern.
EliseOh, nice.
GuideSome are gels you can inject. Some slowly dissolve as new tissue forms.
EliseAnd how does any of this get into the heart?
GuideA few ways. An IV, a thin tube through a blood vessel, or right into the heart muscle, often guided by imaging.
EliseIs all of this happening now?
GuideA lot of it is still research. The book actually says much of it is still largely investigational.
EliseOkay, good to know. So what can a person actually do?
GuideThis is my favorite part. The book says it all works better inside a full cardiac rehab plan.
EliseLike what?
GuideStructured exercise, slowly building up. Eating to calm inflammation, so omega-threes, antioxidants. And managing stress.
EliseStress, really?
GuideReally. Stress puts your body in fight-or-flight mode, and the book says that can get in the way of healing. So things like meditation and guided imagery can help.
EliseSo if you had to sum up chapter nine?
GuideThe heart doesn't heal itself easily. So the goal is to support repair, alongside the care you already have.
EliseI like that. And, quick reminder, this is general info, not medical advice. Talk to your own provider.
GuideAlways.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your own provider.
Frequently asked questions.
What is heart scar tissue?
Heart scar tissue is what usually forms after a heart attack damages part of the heart muscle. According to the book, it holds the heart together but does not squeeze like healthy muscle.
What is heart muscle called?
Heart muscle is called the myocardium, and its muscle cells are called cardiomyocytes. The book explains that these cells are lined up in a very specific pattern so the heart can squeeze well.
What can cause scarring of the heart?
The book focuses on heart attacks. When an artery gets blocked, part of the heart goes without oxygen and gets damaged. Instead of growing new muscle, that area usually forms a scar.
Is scar tissue on the heart dangerous?
The scar keeps the heart together, but it does not help pump. The rest of the heart muscle has to work harder, and the book says that extra strain over time can lead to heart failure.
Does heart scar tissue go away?
Heart scar tissue is described in the book as hard for the body to undo on its own, because heart muscle has limited repair ability. Researchers are studying ways to support repair, especially in the weeks right after a heart attack. This goes alongside regular cardiology care, not instead of it.
Why does heart muscle heal so slowly?
The book says heart muscle has limited repair ability compared with tissues like skin or liver. That is why the weeks right after a heart attack matter so much for how the heart heals.
Is regenerative medicine for the heart available now?
Much of it is still research. The book says many of these approaches are still largely investigational and are meant to work alongside regular cardiology care, not replace it.
Where is Beyond Stem Cells located?
Beyond Stem Cells is at 5912 S Cody St, Suite 201, Littleton, CO 80123, serving the Denver metro. This podcast is general education, not medical advice.
Want to learn more about the regenerative medicine ideas in this episode? Read about regenerative medicine, mesenchymal stem cells, our medical team, frequently asked questions, exosomes.
Further reading: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: what is a heart attack?.
Want the whole book? Get the free Beyond Stem Cells book.
Regenerative care in Littleton and the Denver metro.
Beyond Stem Cells sits just off S Cody St in Littleton, an easy drive from Ken Caryl, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Englewood and Lakewood.
Questions about your own situation?
The podcast is general education. If you want to talk about your own health, request a consultation with our team.
Beyond Stem Cells · 5912 S Cody St, Suite 201, Littleton, CO 80123 · (833) 720-7836 · info@beyondstemcells.com
Medical disclaimer: This page is general education based on the book Beyond Stem Cells by John Comandari and Neville Campbell, MD. It is not medical advice. Individual results vary and no specific outcome is promised. Talk to your own provider about your situation.