Implant Technique
Heart disease has emerged as one of the prime causes of deaths in human being. Various newly devised technologies and treatments are proving less effective as human lifestyle has become more sedative and food intake unhealthier. However, these advanced techniques have improved survival chances of patients.
The survival chances of patients have improved owing to the rapid aperture of an occluded artery and the quality medical methods after a myocardial infarction. The main long term effect of implants has been ventricular dilation that is the main cause of heart failure.
There are many other patients who feel chest pain (coronary artery disease), refractory to conventional medical therapy, without any chance of revascularization angioplasty or surgery, who have to limit their physical activities and food habits.
There is also a group of patients with heart failure, due to either previous myocardial infarction or severe coronary artery disease. These patients stand a risk of sudden death owing to cardiac arrest.
Benefits of stem cell implants
Stem cell therapy has proved very beneficial to patients. This therapy should be administered in addition to conventional medical treatment. This novel technique extracts stem cells from the bone marrow and implants them with the help of a catheter or directly by surgery in the left ventricle.
These stem cells reach the affected area and recover the lost or damaged cells by converting themselves to carry out the recovery. This remedy reduces chest pain and fatigue; and is very effective in gaining back the normal functions of life. The effects of this novel therapy on patients’ quality of life are finally due to a better cardiac function and fewer chest pain episodes.
Some of the common techniques of stem cell therapy are:
Catheter Technique
It consists of extracting stem cells from bone marrow through a catheter. The iliac cresta bone is punctured under sedation, to take out an adequate amount of bone marrow blood. The blood is then processed, purified and selected stem cells from this blood are ready for injection. These stem cells are then injected through a catheter on the heart arteries or veins, under local anesthesia. This procedure is usually performed in the groin area. It is a painless process with very low risk or side effects. Patients can normally resume their normal activity on the following day.
Surgical Technique
This technique is useful for patients who undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Stem cells can be injected directly in the infarction area during the open heart surgery. At the moment of bypass surgery, the surgeon uses the aperture of the thorax for a direct injection of cells close to necrotic areas, getting a great engraftment of the cells.
