A heart surgeon has given a baby boy a ‘chance at life’ with a ‘world’s first’ surgery using placental stem cells.
Finley Pantry was born with a congenital heart defect which meant the two main arteries supplying blood to his lungs and body were in the wrong position.
At just four days old, he underwent his first open-heart surgery to return the major arteries to their normal position.
Unfortunately, the newborn suffered complications and his heart function rapidly deteriorated, leaving him stuck in intensive care for weeks, dependent on medication and a ventilator to keep his heart going.
Finley Pantry (pictured with his mother, Melissa Hudd) was born with a congenital heart defect which meant the two main arteries supplying blood to his lungs and body were in the wrong positions
At just four days old, he underwent his first open-heart surgery to return the major arteries to their normal position.
But, thanks to a doctor, he now lives as a happy two-year-old looking forward to Christmas with his family in Corsham, Wiltshire.
Professor Massimo Caputo, from the Bristol Heart Institute, told Finley’s mother he could try using a pioneering stem cell ‘scaffold’ to correct the heart defect.
The procedure involved stem cells from a placenta bank that were injected directly into Finley’s heart in the hope that they would help damaged blood vessels grow.
Remarkably, Finley was then weaned off the medication and vent he was on – and is now a “happy, growing little boy”.
Finley’s mother, Melissa Hudd, said: ‘We almost lost Finley when he was just two months old. The doctors called us into a room and told us they had done everything they could.
It was then that Massimo came to find us and explained that there was one option left: to inject stem cells into the left side of Finley’s heart.
“He warned us that he could not predict what the outcome would be. But we had absolutely nothing to lose. We had to try to give Finley every possible chance to live.
In just two weeks after the stem cell treatment, the family noticed a change in Finley, and he was sent home for the first time aged six months on a machine that still helps him breathe at night .
Unfortunately, the newborn suffered complications and his heart function rapidly deteriorated, leaving him stuck in intensive care for weeks, dependent on medication and a ventilator to keep his heart going.
Professor Massimo Caputo, from the Bristol Heart Institute, told Finley’s mother he could try using a pioneering stem cell ‘scaffold’ to correct the heart defect.
“We can’t thank Massimo enough,” Miss Hudd said. “I believe if it weren’t for the stem cell treatment then Finley wouldn’t be here with us today.
Finley is very feisty and very funny – he’s a real warrior from the heart and I tell him that all the time.
“We don’t know what the future holds, but we are very grateful that Finley’s life has changed after stem cell treatment because he now has a chance to live that he might not have. had otherwise.”
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 every day in the UK.
Finley now lives as a happy two-year-old looking forward to Christmas with his family in Corsham, Wiltshire
The stem cell injection treatment Finley received inspired Prof Caputo to develop stem cell ‘dressings’ that can grow with a child’s heart as it ages, removing the need for surgeries repetitive and the many days in the hospital to recuperate after each one.
Currently, for many of these infants, surgeons can perform open-heart surgery to temporarily fix the problem, but the materials used for patches or replacement heart valves are not completely biological and cannot grow with the infant. .
This means that a child could therefore have to undergo the same thermal operation several times throughout their childhood, which keeps them in the hospital for weeks at a time.
The stem cell injection treatment Finley received inspired Prof Caputo to develop stem cell ‘dressings’ that can grow with a child’s heart as it ages, removing the need for surgeries repetitive and the many days in the hospital to recuperate after each one.
Professor Caputo has now received £750,000 from the British Heart Foundation to prepare these patches for testing in patients, so clinical trials can begin within the next two years.
Professor Caputo has now received £750,000 from the British Heart Foundation to prepare these patches for testing in patients, so clinical trials can begin within the next two years.
He said: “For years we have had families come to us asking why their child has had to have heart surgery time and time again.
Although each operation can save lives, the experience can place incredible stress on the child and their parents.
“We believe that our stem cell patches will be the answer to solving these problems.”
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