Vitals Spotlight - We Give the Doctor an Exam

Dr. Slaughter (mastheart.com)

Michael Jones, a 66 year-old male, volunteered for the stem cell trial procedure after two heart attacks left him with severe congestive heart failure. Doctors harvested a small portion of Jones’s heart in March and it was sent to a lab to cultivate existing stem cells from his own heart and grow them at a rapid rate. Over three months, researchers grew a million cardiac stem cells from Jones’ own tissue. Those stem cells were injected back into Jones’s heart with a catheter on July 17th. Doctors hope the injected stem cells will perform their natural function, but at a more rapid rate, and repair the damaged muscle in Jones’s heart.

“This really seemed like the natural thing to do,” said Michael Jones, “It just made sense to use the body to regenerate itself.”

Doctors at Jewish Hospital and the University of Louisville introduced the first patient in the world to undergo adult cardiac stem cell infusion. Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mark Slaughter says Jones was a great candidate for the test.

“He had several heart attacks, he had very poor heart function. Physically, he was very limited. In several years, most likely, his only option would be transplant or potentially a mechanical heart,” he says.

According to Vitals.com, Dr. Slaughter specializes in coronary heart bypass, heart failure, heart transplantation, postoperative complications and heart valve prosthesis implantation.

Dr. Roberto Bolli

Dr. Roberto Bolli is leader of this study, and director of the University of Louisville’s Institute for Molecular Cardiology. According to Vitals.com, Dr. Bolli is certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease.

Dr. Bolli says with great anticipation, “If they work in humans as they have done in experimental animal models, this will be a truly revolutionary treatment for heart failure.”

Doctors say there are six million Americans with heart failure, with nearly 700,000 new cases every year. They believe if this infusion procedure works, adult stem cells will give millions new hope.