Cardiomyocyte Renewal Page 1 clinical implications of basic research The new england journal
of medicine n engl j med 361;1 nejm.org july 2, 2009 86 Cardiomyocyte Renewal Michael S.
Parmacek, MD, and Jonathan A. Epstein, MD The capacity of the heart to regenerate functional
myocardium is extremely limited or absent. This lack of regenerative capacity contrasts with that
of many other organs and tissues. Heart failure remains the leading cause of hospitalization
in the United States, and its prevalence continues to grow as the population ages. In most …