Suffering from critical limb ischemia, a diabetic faced the loss of a lower limb. But a private hospital in Chennai saved the patient by using bone marrow stem cell treatment.
“The 68-year-old woman, hailing from Andhra Pradesh and suffering from critical ischemia, with a very large ulcer at the left calf and foot and advised amputation of the left lower limb, successfully underwent autologous (one’s own) bone marrow stem cell treatment at the vascular department of Chennai’s Vijaya Hospital,” the hospital’s chief vascular surgeon, Dr. Subrammaniyan, said recently.
New blood vessel formation improved circulation to the affected leg and the women’s ulcer healed in 60 days.
A team of doctors assisted Dr. Subrammaniyan as bone marrow was injected into the affected portion of the woman’s calf muscle after it was tapped under general anesthesia. Due to the patients advanced condition, bypass surgery to salvage the limb was ruled out. The 100ml dose of bone marrow was repeated a month later.
Health granulation started covering the previously ischemic portion as the healing process commenced very rapidly said the doctors. Close to 40 per cent of the foot area, 20 per cent of the calf area and 100 per cent of the lateral wound had been covered with skin. The remaining portion healed successfully and was treated with skin grafting.
“The patient is now able to use her left foot,” he said.
Dr. Subrammaniyan claimed that 20 percent of the country’s population would be diabetic by 2015. The treatment alone would cost about INR 50,000 (about $1,100 U.S. dollars) he added.