Rationale: The ACCRUE (Meta-Analysis of Cell-based CaRdiac stUdiEs) is the first prospectively declared collaborative multinational database including individual data of patients (IPD) with ischemic heart disease treated with cell therapy. Objective: We analyzed the safety and efficacy of intracoronary cell therapy after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) including IPDs from 12 randomized trials (ASTAMI, Aalst, BOOST, BONAMI, CADUCEUS, FINCELL, REGENT, REPAIR-AMI, SCAMI, SWISS-AMI, TIME, LATE-TIME; n=1252).

Methods and Results: The primary endpoint was freedom from combined major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE; including all-cause death, re-AMI, stroke, and target vessel revascularization). The secondary endpoint was freedom from hard clinical endpoints (death, re-AMI, or stroke), assessed with random-effects meta-analyses and Cox regressions for interactions. Secondary efficacy endpoints included changes in end-diastolic volume (ΔEDV), end-systolic volume (ΔESV), and ejection fraction (ΔEF), analyzed with random-effects meta-analyses and analysis of covariance. We reported weighted mean differences between cell therapy and control groups. No effect of cell therapy on MACCE (14.0% vs. 16.3%, hazard ratio 0.86, 95%CI: 0.63;1.18) or death (1.4% vs 2.1%) or death/re-AMI/stroke (2.9% vs 4.7%) was identified in comparison to controls. No change in ΔEF (mean difference: 0.96%, 95%CI: -0.2;2.1), ΔEDV, or ΔESV was observed compared to controls. These results were not influenced by anterior AMI location, reduced baseline EF, or the use of MRI for assessing left ventricular parameters.

Conclusions: This meta-analysis of IPD from randomized trials in patients with recent AMI revealed that intracoronary cell therapy provided no benefit, in terms of clinical events or changes in left ventricular function.