Mysore/Mysuru: An 88-year-old man presented to Manipal Hospital, Mysuru, with blackish discolouration of the heel of left foot. He was diabetic and was on regular treatment for the same. For the current problem, he had already received several medications including intra venous antibiotics with little improvement.

“Upon examination he was detected to have Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) with gangrene of heel of left foot. Large number of such patients end up with amputation of leg. Our aim in such situation is to first try to save the limb. Amputation should be the last resort,” said Dr. Upendra Shenoy – Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon, Manipal Hospital, Mysuru, while giving details about the patient.

Addressing the media, Dr. C. B. Keshavamurthy – Consultant Interventional Cardiology, Manipal Hospital, said, “Patient’s angiogram showed diffuse disease in all blood vessels of the leg with critical blocks in many areas. We performed angioplasty on the limb. The procedure improved the blood supply to the limb, but additional treatment was required to restore blood circulation to the foot and toes.”

Dr. Shenoy and team decided to implement stem cell therapy, a first of its kind procedure in Mysuru.  “Stem cell therapy involves the injection of stem cells obtained from the bone marrow of healthy individuals. These stem cells can transform themselves into different tissues according to the requirement. In this case, the stem cells stimulate the formation of new blood vessels,” said Dr. Upendra Shenoy while explaining about the therapy.

He further added, “On the day after angioplasty, we injected the stem cell into the calf muscles of the patient. The dose depends upon the weight of the patient. If the weight is below 60 kg, the doctor injects about 150 million stem cells. In patients with more than 60 kg, the dose is about 200 million. In this case, the patient was 45 kg, so we injected 150 million stem cells into the calf muscle. Stem cells are stored in liquid nitrogen at around -196 degrees.”

The result of the surgery was satisfying. The patient was discharged the next day of the procedure. Within a week after the procedure, the patient’s discomfort settled down and there was incremental improvement in his leg movement. Within a month, doctors noticed that the gangrenous area was reduced considerably in size. The patient reported an overall improvement.”

“It is relatively a new treatment and is in a very nascent stage in India. There are less than ten patients in the country who have undergone such treatment,” said Dr. Gautam Das – Hospital Director,  Manipal Hospital.