Systematic Review of Stem Cell Therapy for Ischemic Heart Disease in Indonesia: Where Are We Now?

Introduction: Heart failure due to IHD is one of the most common causes of morbidity in Indonesia. The promising stem cell therapy for IHD patients has been conducted in Indonesia since 12 years ago but limited results of publications are available. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the progress of stem cell therapy for IHD patients in Indonesia. Methods: A systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed using the PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases from March – April 2023. Articles are thoroughly evaluated and analyzed. Results: Four publications from Indonesia related to stem cell therapy for IHD patients are included. Clinical outcome was measured by LVEF, WMSI, and 6-MWT. Safety outcomes are also measured. Follow-up time ranged from 6 – 12 months. Significant improvement in most of the LVEF, WMSI, and 6-MWT studies. Safety outcome measures demonstrated relatively low rates of AE after stem cell transplantation and no cardiac event-related deaths were reported. Conclusion: Stem cell therapy trials for IHD in Indonesia show promising results in improving ventricular function and daily functional outcomes safely. With the fast-growing trend of stem cells and cardiovascular centers in Indonesia, we hope that more well-designed clinical trials with long-term outcome assessments can be conducted to confirm these results.