Kolkata: Docs give hope to elderly man on the verge of leg amputation

Doctors at a hospital in Kolkata have successfully performed their firstever stem cell therapy for an advanced case of Peripheral Arterial Disease PAD on a 62yearold retired government employee from the City of JoyThe therapy was done under the expertise of Dr Jayanta Das consultant Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Dr Krishnendu Mukherjee consultant ndash Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Manipal Hospital BroadwayThe patient was a chronic smoker had been diagnosed with PAD nearly a year ago and was initially advised angioplasty with possible stenting Peripheral Arterial Disease PAD is a condition in which the blood vessels in the legs become narrowed or blocked reducing blood flow This can cause leg pain nonhealing wounds and in severe cases infection or amputation Smoking diabetes and high cholesterol are common causes However due to delayed followup and disease progression he later presented with severe critical limb ischemia blocked blood flow to an arm or leg and an active nonhealing ulcer Advanced angiography revealed that conventional surgical options were no longer feasible due to the absence visible arterial lumen hollow inner space of an artery through which blood flows With amputation the only option left the team led by Dr Jayanta Das proposed stem cell therapy a treatment where special cells are used to help repair damaged tissues and improve blood flow especially when other treatments are not possibleThe patient was admitted to the hospital on the same day the procedure was conducted and he was discharged on the following day Within 24 hours the patient experienced complete relief from pain through a remarkable early outcome The healing response of the ulcer will be assessed over the next six weeksSpeaking about the case Dr Das said ldquoIn advanced Peripheral Arterial Disease when angioplasty or bypass surgery is no longer possible due to complete blockage of blood vessels stem cell therapy offers a promising limbsaving option In this case the patient had no viable surgical alternative and was at high risk of amputation The therapy resulted in significant relief from severe rest pain within 24 hours highlighting the potential of regenerative medicine to improve blood flow and quality of life in patients with critical limb ischemiardquoAdding to this Dr Mukherjee said ldquoCritical limb ischemia caused by severe arterial blockage leaves very limited treatment options and in many cases patients are pushed towards amputation In this case stem cell therapy was carefully planned and executed after thorough evaluation as no conventional surgical or endovascular intervention was feasible The early clinical response particularly the rapid relief from rest pain is encouraging and highlights the role of advanced regenerative procedures in managing complex vascular casesrdquoSharing his relief the man shared ldquoWhen I was told that surgery was no longer possible and amputation might be needed I felt helpless Stem cell therapy gave me a new option and new hope Within a day my pain reduced significantly and I am grateful to the team at Manipal Hospital Broadway for this treatmentrdquo