Teen 1st in World to Get Experimental Stem Cell Heart Treatment

PRNewswire

March 5, 2003

ROYAL OAK, Mich. -- Doctors a Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., are first in the world to use stem cells from a patient's own blood to try to repair damage caused by a heart attack. The patient, 16-year-old Dimitri Bonnville, had a massive heart attack in mid-February after being shot in the heart with a nail gun. The Almont, Mich., native is recuperating at home. Doctors hope these stem cells will regenerate damaged heart tissue and stimulate the growth of new blood vessels.

"This treatment was Dimitri's only option, aside from a heart transplant," says William O'Neill, M.D., Beaumont's chief of cardiology. "Dimitri was a very active teenager prior to this incident. We hope that in the next few months this experimental procedure will help heal his heart and make it possible for Dimitri to lead as normal a life as possible."

The treatment protocol used in this case was developed by Beaumont cardiologist Cindy Grines, M.D., with the assistance of Drs. O'Neill and Bradley Eisenbrey, chief of transfusion medicine at Beaumont. "The unique treatment was considered on an emergent-use basis in consultation with Beaumont's Human Investigation Committee. We based the treatment protocol on laboratory studies that have shown stem cells from the blood hold promise in helping to bring new life to damaged hearts, and on limited patient trials that indicate stem cells from bone marrow may also improve heart function," says Dr. Grines.

This experimental treatment began on Monday, February 17, with Dimitri starting a four-day regimen of Neupogen, a medication that stimulates the production of stem cells in the blood. On Friday, February 21, doctors harvested Dimitri's stem cells with a special blood collection machine. Then, using a heart catheter, they transplanted the stem cells into his left anterior descending artery, which supplies blood to the front of the heart.

"The transplant went exactly as planned, lasting less than 60 minutes, says Beaumont cardiologist Steven Timmis, M.D., who performed the stem cell transplant. "Dimitri tolerated the treatment very well, experiencing no complications."

Five days following the stem cell transplant, a defibrillator was implanted in Dimitri's chest. The device will help control any irregular heartbeats that he is now susceptible to as a result of the damage caused by the heart attack.

Beaumont is Michigan's, and one of the nation's, most experienced providers of heart care, ranking 15th on the 2002 U.S. News & World Report list of the "Top 50" hospitals for cardiology. The Beaumont Heart Center is a comprehensive, state-of-the-art facility that's dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart problems. It's home to Beaumont's Ministrelli Women's Heart Center, the first of its kind in Michigan exclusively for the prevention, diagnosis, and research of heart disease in women. Visit Beaumont on the Web at www.beaumonthospitals.com