Stem cells save from amputation

British climber's shattered leg was saved with the help of stem cells
Copper newsBritish doctors managed to save the limb of a climber with a complex open leg fracture complicated by infection with the help of his own stem cells, Sky News reports (Stem Cell Glue Saves Climber's Leg).

During mountaineering in the Cumbrian Langdale Mountains, a heavy stone fell on Andrew Kent's leg, breaking bones in five places, and a fragment of the tibia came out through soft tissues.

Kent was taken to Cumberland Hospital in Carlisle, where he underwent three reconstructive surgeries. However, the wounds received during the fracture were complicated by soft tissue infection, which did not allow the fractures to heal. In this regard, the patient was transferred to the Alexander Hospital, owned by the Spire network of private clinics.

Attempts to cure Kent by conventional methods did not bring the desired result, and doctors informed him that the only alternative to amputation could be experimental treatment with their own stem cells, previously not used in the UK.

Orthopedic surgeon Anan Shetty received stem cells from the patient's bone marrow, mixed them with a special collagen gel Cartifill and filled the resulting paste with bone defects. After that, Kent's leg was fixed in Ilizarov's apparatus.

Six months later – in early December – the doctors removed the device and made sure that the bone fragments had fused. According to Shetty, Kent won't be able to run for another year, but after about a year and a half, the bones should regain their former strength. The patient himself told reporters that he was very pleased with the results of treatment.

 Eternal Youth Portal www.vechnayamolodost.ru17.12.2009