Hospital Miguel Pérez Carreño was the first health center in the Venezuela to carry out an implant of chondrocytes (from stem cells) in knees, through an arthroscopic surgery, which regenerate the cartilage of a patient who suffers from chondromalacia and avoids the installation of a prosthesis.
The medical team who underwent the surgery was integrated by Doctor Arnaldo Machado, member of the Traumatology and Orthopedics department and coordinator of the Arthroscopic Surgery Unity; and the house surgeons of the postgraduate studies, Luis París and Daniel Arias.
Dr. Machado explained that “the stem cells can come from the umbilical cord. These are embryonic stem cells (ES cells) which are able to regenerate any kind of tissue. The “adult” stem cells can be obtained from any tissue.”
In this case, it's about “adult” stem cells that were cultivated in a lab in the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Researches (IVIC Spanish acronym) and the chondrocytes were obtained from the cells that form the cartilage.
“The stem cells, Machado said, as a chameleon, can transform into a the tissue to which they append. If it is muscle tissues, they become muscle; if it is cartilaginous tissue, they become a cartilage. It can be transformed into what you need.”
Dr. Machado highlighted that “we are not offering magic solutions, we are not inventing either; we are just following some schools' successes and avoiding failures. It's a start, it's the first time we are working on the cultivation of this kind of cells in Venezuela.”
He also pointed out that they made some changes to the surgical procedures so they could work with material fabricated in the country; so this procedure can be spread.
The doctor informed that the first patient is a 27-year-old girl from Barquisimeto, Lara state, who suffered from a pathology that caused an osteoarthritis. Next week two more patients will come to the hospital in order to cultivate the cells.
The head of Hospital Miguel Pérez Carreño Rosalinda Prieto said that this health center is the first one to carry out this sort of procedures. She gave a recognition to the Venezuelan doctors who go at the pace of the world modern medicine.
Bolivarian News Agency (ABN) / November 8th, 2009