A heart surgeon gave a little boy a “chance on life” thanks to a “world’s first” operation using stem cells from the placenta.
Finley Pantry was born with a congenital heart defect which meant the two main arteries that supplied blood to his lungs and body were in the wrong place.
At just four days old, he had his first open-heart surgery to put the main arteries back into their normal position.
Unfortunately, the newborn suffered complications and his heart function deteriorated rapidly, leaving him in intensive care for weeks, relying on medication and a ventilator to keep his heart working.
Finley Pantry (pictured with his mother Melissa Hudd) was born with a congenital heart defect which meant the two main arteries that supply blood to his lungs and body were in the wrong position
At just four days old, he had his first open-heart surgery to put the main arteries back into their normal position
Heart Defects: The most common type of abnormality that develops before a baby is born
Heart defects are the most common type of abnormality to develop before a baby is born, with around 13 babies being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect every day in the UK.
Currently, surgeons can perform open-heart surgery on many of these children to temporarily fix the problem, but the materials used for the patches or replacement heart valves are not entirely biological and cannot grow with the baby.
This means that a child may have to go through the same heat surgery multiple times throughout their childhood, leaving them in the hospital for weeks.
But thanks to a doctor, he’s now a happy two-year-old living with his family in Corsham, Wiltshire, looking forward to Christmas.
Bristol Heart Institute professor Massimo Caputo told Finley’s mother he could try to correct the heart defect with a breakthrough stem cell scaffold.
The procedure involved stem cells from a placental bank injected directly into Finley’s heart in hopes they would help damaged blood vessels grow.
Remarkably, Finley was then weaned off the medication and ventilator – and is now a “happily 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.
“That’s when Massimo came to us and explained that there was another option – to inject stem cells into the left side of Finley’s heart.
“He warned us that he cannot predict the outcome. But we had absolutely nothing to lose. We had to try to give Finley every chance we could at life.”
Within just two weeks of stem cell treatment, the family noticed a change in Finley, and he was first sent home at six months, on a machine that still helps him breathe at night.
Unfortunately, the newborn suffered complications and his heart function deteriorated rapidly, leaving him in intensive care for weeks, relying on medication and a ventilator to keep his heart working
Bristol Heart Institute professor Massimo Caputo told Finley’s mother he could try to correct the heart defect with a breakthrough stem cell scaffold
“We can’t thank Massimo enough,” said Miss Hudd. “I don’t think Finley would be here with us today without the stem cell treatment.
“Finley is very spirited and very funny – he’s a real warrior of heart and I tell him that all the time.
“We don’t know what the future holds, but we are so grateful that Finley’s life has taken a turn after stem cell treatment as he now has a chance at life that he might not otherwise have had.”
Heart defects are the most common type of abnormality to develop before a baby is born, with around 13 babies being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect every day in the UK.
Finley is now a happy two-year-old looking forward to Christmas with his family in Corsham, Wiltshire
The stem cell injection treatment Finley received inspired Professor Caputo to develop stem cell “patches” that can grow with a child’s heart as they get older, eliminating the need for repeat surgeries and the many days in the hospital recovering from each surgery , omitted
Currently, surgeons can perform open-heart surgery on many of these children to temporarily fix the problem, but the materials used for the patches or replacement heart valves are not entirely biological and cannot grow with the baby.
This means that a child may have to go through the same heat surgery multiple times throughout their childhood, leaving them in the hospital for weeks.
The stem cell injection treatment Finley received inspired Professor Caputo to develop stem cell “patches” that can grow with a child’s heart as they get older, eliminating the need for repeat surgeries and the many days in the hospital recovering from each surgery , omitted.
Professor Caputo has now been awarded £750,000 by the British Heart Foundation with the aim of preparing these patches for testing on patients so clinical trials can begin in the next two years.
Professor Caputo has now been awarded £750,000 by the British Heart Foundation with the aim of preparing these patches for testing on patients so clinical trials can begin in the next two years.
He said: “For years families have come to us asking why their child keeps having to have heart surgery.
“Although any surgery can be life-saving, the experience can be incredibly stressful for the child and their parents.
“We believe that our stem cell patches will be the solution to these problems.”
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Stem cells help researchers study mammalian development, allowing them to fight disease and create organs for human transplants
Stem cells are the body’s raw materials – a basic cell type that can transform into another, more specialized cell type through a process known as differentiation.
Think of stem cells as a fresh ball of clay that can be molded and transformed into any cell in the body – including bone, muscle, skin and more.
This ability means they have been the focus of much medical research over the past few decades.
They grow in embryos as embryonic stem cells, helping the fast-growing infant make the millions of different cell types he needs to make before birth.
The embryonic stem cells used in research come from unused embryos that come from an in vitro fertilization process and are donated to science.
In adults, they are used as repair cells, replacing those we lose through damage or aging.
For adults, there are two types: one type comes from fully developed tissues such as the brain, skin, and bone marrow; the other includes pluripotent stem cells.
Pluripotent stem cells have been modified in a lab to more closely resemble embryonic stem cells.