A heart surgeon has given a boy a “chance to live” thanks to a “world first” surgery using stem cells from the placenta.
Finley Pantry was born with a congenital heart defect. That meant that his two major arteries that supply blood to his lungs and body were in the wrong position.
Just four days after birth, he underwent his first open-heart surgery to put his major arteries back in place.
Unfortunately, the newborn developed complications, his heart function deteriorated rapidly, and he was placed in intensive care for several weeks, relying on medication and a ventilator to keep his heart pumping.
Finley Pantry (pictured with her mother, Melissa Hudd) has a congenital heart defect that means the two major arteries that supply blood to her lungs and body are in the wrong place. Was born.
Just four days after birth, he underwent his first open-heart surgery to put his major arteries back in place.
But thanks to one doctor, he now lives as a happy two-year-old looking forward to Christmas with his family in Corsham, Wiltshire.
Professor Massimo Caputo of the Bristol Heart Institute told Finley’s mother that a pioneering stem cell “scaffold” could be used to correct defects in the heart.
The procedure involved stem cells from a placental bank injected directly into Finley’s heart in hopes of helping damaged blood vessels grow.
Amazingly, Finley has since been weaned from the drugs and ventilator he was using, and is now a “happily growing little boy.”
Finley’s mother, Melissa Hudd, said, “We almost lost Finley when he was only two months old. rice field.
That’s when Massimo came looking for us and explained that we had one option left – injecting stem cells into the left side of Finley’s heart.
“He warned us that the outcome could not be predicted. But we had nothing to lose. We must try to give Finley every chance to live.” did.
After just two weeks of stem cell therapy, the family noticed changes in Finley. Finley was first sent home when she was six months old and still has a machine to help her breathe at night.
Unfortunately, the newborn developed complications, his heart function deteriorated rapidly, and he was placed in intensive care for several weeks, relying on medication and a ventilator to keep his heart pumping.
Professor Massimo Caputo of the Bristol Heart Institute told Finley’s mother that a pioneering stem cell “scaffold” could be used to correct defects in the heart.
“I can’t thank Massimo enough,” said Miss Hud. “Without stem cell therapy, I don’t think Finley would be with us today.
“Finley is so energetic and so funny. He’s a true warrior at heart and I always tell him that.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m very grateful that Finley’s life has turned around after stem cell therapy. He now has a life chance he might not have had otherwise. It’s from.”
Heart defects are the most common type of abnormality that develops before a baby is born, with around 13 babies diagnosed with congenital heart disease in the UK every day.
Finley now lives in Corsham, Wiltshire as a happy two-year-old looking forward to Christmas with his family.
The stem cell injection treatment that Finley received inspired Professor Caputo to develop a stem cell “adhesive bandage” that could grow with a child’s heart as he got older, eliminating the need for repeat surgeries and sending him to hospital after each surgery. I no longer need to recover for days.
Currently, for many of these children, surgeons can perform open-heart surgery to temporarily repair the problem, but the materials used in patches and replacement heart valves are not entirely biological. , cannot grow with the baby.
This means that children may have to undergo the same heat surgery multiple times throughout their childhood, requiring them to be hospitalized for weeks at a time.
The stem cell injection therapy that Finley received prompted Professor Caputo to develop a stem cell “plaster” that could grow with the heart as the child grew, eliminating the need for repeat surgeries and allowing patients to spend time in the hospital after each operation. I no longer need to recover.
Professor Caputo has now been awarded £750,000 by the British Heart Foundation, which aims to enable these patches to be tested on patients, allowing clinical trials to begin over the next two years.
Professor Caputo has now been awarded £750,000 by the British Heart Foundation, which aims to enable these patches to be tested on patients, allowing clinical trials to begin over the next two years.
“For years, families have asked us why their child needed heart surgery over and over again.
“Each surgery can be life-saving, but the experience can be incredibly stressful for children and their parents.
“We believe our stem cell patch is the answer to these problems.”
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