Patient description: An 82-year-old woman comes to the emergency department because of chest pain and shortness of breath after being awakened in the morning by stabbing substernal chest pain radiating to the left shoulder and jaw. The patient had hypertension, renal-artery stenosis with chronic renal insufficiency, hypercholesterolemia, osteoporosis and dementia. Blood pressure was 199/108 mm Hg, respiratory rate 18 bpm, oxygen saturation 98% on ambient air. The heart sounds were rapid and with no murmurs. CK-MB was 10.9 ng/ml, CK was 89 U/l, CK index was 12.2% and Troponin T was 0.40 ng/ml. An EKG showed sinus regular tachycardia of 119 bpm, with ST-segment elevations up to 3 mm in V1, V2, and V3. A chest radiograph showed low lung volumes and right basilar subsegmental atelectasis. Coronary angiography showed no stenosis or clinically significant disease. Left ventriculography revealed akinesis of the anterior wall, hypokinesis of the apical and distal inferior walls, and compensatory hyperkinesis of the basal anterior and basal inferior walls. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed severe segmental left ventricular dysfunction involving the septum, anteroseptal territory, and apex. The overall left ventricular systolic function was mildly impaired and there was mild mitral regurgitation.

Clinical trial eligibility criteria: eligible ages (years): 30.0-80.0,  Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients will be eligible if presenting all characteristics described below ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, according to the WHO definition (two from the following three) i) Presence of chest pain. ii) Presence of ST segment elevation in two or more contiguous leads. iii) Elevation of the myonecrosis markers Age between 30 and 80 years old Invasive ventriculography presenting ejection fraction <50% (Dodge method) and segmentary dysfunction of the infarction area, measured immediately before PCI. Among patients submitted to thrombolytic therapy, the angioplasty of the related artery should be preferably done up to 24h after thrombolysis, with a maximum deadline of 48h after thrombolysis. This recommendation is based on the last Percutaneous Coronary Intervention guideline published by the European Society of Cardiology, in April 2005.68 IA recommendation degree  Patients will be ineligible if presenting any of the characteristics described below AMI related artery presenting TIMI < 3 at the moment f cell injection Left Main Coronary Artery Lesion of >50% or multivessel coronariopathy (>70% lesion in vessels with >2,0mm diameter in left anterior descending, circumflex and right coronary territory) indicating the need for CABG or angioplasty with three or more stents implant Coronary anatomy, after thrombolytic reperfusion, presenting no need for angioplasty with stent implant Final Diastolic Pression of the LV higher than 30 mmHg during ventriculography for evaluating EF for the research protocol (item "c" of criteria) Cardiac arrest or Killip IV AMI at admission with need of ventilatory support Cardiogenic shock persisting up to the third day after AMI (with need of Intra-aortic balloon pump or vasopressors) AMI mechanical complications (ventricular septal defect, papillary muscle rupture, and left ventricular free wall rupture) Significant valve disease, defined as aortic stenosis (mean systolic pressure gradient across the aortic valve >50mmHg), mitral stenosis with a valvar area less than 1,5 cm,2 moderate to severe aortic and/or mitral regurgitation Chronic use of immunosuppressive agents