The Psychological and Compliance Factors can Modulate the Outcome of STEMI Patients Treated by Stem Cell Therapy - A Pilot Study

Introduction: In the assessment of stem cell therapy post myocardial infarction, the rapport between the medical intervention and the patient’s compliance and psychological factors represent a research and treatment management challenge. Purpose: Identifying the implication of psychological and behavioral factors associated with compliance on therapeutic success in relation to cell therapy in acute myocardial infarction patients. Methods: The study included 32 patients with acute myocardial infarction with ST elevation, 5 of them being treated with stem cells, subject to a qualitative observational analysis. All the patients were monitored regularly both in terms of clinical indicators, according to the research protocol for post-infarction cell therapy and psychological, health related behavioral using self-rated questionnaire developed for this study, Health Perception Scale, Depression Scale (HADS-D), Health Locus of Control Scale. Results: The analysis of psycho-behavioral aspects of acute myocardial infarction patients indicates certain statistically significant differences, in the sense of a higher degree of receptivity and responsibility in adopting health promoting behavior expressed by stem cell treated patients. We found a significant correlation between an internal locus of control and the intent to adopt a health promoting behavior (r = 0.473, p < 0.05), while an external locus of control shows a negative, statistically significant correlation, with the same variable (r = - 0.536, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The psychological and behavioral factors should be part of the algorithm for evaluating eligibility for cell therapy and also should be considered in quantification of the response to the treatment.