“I know it’s a miracle,” Mason Thomas said of the stem cell implant surgery that healed his wife Helen’s foot and saved it from amputation. The couple live in Hastings.

New stem cell procedure helps Hastings woman regain use of leg, beat peripheral arterial disease. As reported by John Agar | The Grand Rapids Press February 20, 2010, 7:00AM

HASTINGS — Suffering a painful circulation problem in her leg, Helen Thomas rarely left her home. On most days, the 80-year-old was so wiped out by painkillers she didn’t want to get up.

Amputation looked to be her only option.

Then her physician, Kenneth Merriman of Hastings, started asking around at a medical conference in late 2008. He spoke with Dr. Randall Franz. Franz was studying a new procedure using a patient’s own stem cells, the biological building blocks with potential to develop into different cell types. The stem cells are injected into the leg, causing new blood vessels to grow.

A few days later, Thomas left for Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. “It was a miracle,” she said this week. “I’m walking, and I wouldn’t be walking without the stem cells. I have my leg.” Therein lies the hope for millions of people.

Thomas suffered peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, which affects the lower limbs of 10 million Americans. Untreated, it can lead to strokes, amputations and death. “They saved my life. I told them they saved my life,” Thomas said. She was part of the Ohio study conducted by Franz, Dr. Kaushal Shah and Dr. Thomas Hankins. Of 16 patients who underwent the procedure, 13 avoided major amputations, the researchers said.

 “This technique sheds new light on stem-cell treatment and has the potential to become the gold standard for PAD,” Hankins said. Franz, medical director of Grant Vascular and Vein Center, said: “We were pleasantly surprised by our results. … This is cutting-edge technology that could benefit millions of Americans.” The study was published in the December issue of “The Journal of Vascular Surgery.”

The procedure involves extraction of specialized stem cells from a patient’s hip and putting them into arteries and muscles where blood flow is blocked, the hospital said. “We actually grew new collateral blood vessels that restored circulation,” Franz said. Merriman, who has treated Thomas’ family for decades, said the procedure uses “high-tech and low-tech components” to treat patients such as Thomas, who had virtually no blood flow in the lower part of her leg.

 A diabetic who also has had several heat bypass surgeries, Thomas’ troubles started with an ingrown toenail. Once removed, the site would not heal and the toe eventually was removed. “The next step was amputation of the leg,” Merriman said. After the treatment, Merriman noticed significant improvement in three weeks. While the procedure gives hope to many who face severe pain and amputation, he doubted it would be covered by insurance for some time. “It’s a hassle if you’re not in a program, getting it paid for, in a study. I think this is one of the most important things I’ve seen for years.”

Thomas’ daughter, Mary Burghdoff, credits Merriman’s initiative and the study’s doctors for her mother’s newfound health. “Dr. Merriman, he’s just tickled pink because it just worked so well. He specifically went to this conference and asked if anybody knew anything, or had any programs going on. (Franz) happened to be there.” She drove her mother to Ohio the next week. “Dr. Franz said, ‘I think I can help you.

Now Thomas and her husband, Mason, can visit their six children, along with grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and hit the casinos, one of her favorite pastimes.  “It’s just life-changing,” her daughter said.

FACT SHEET What is PAD? Here’s a look at peripheral arterial disease and a promising new treatment. Cases: 10 million people in the U.S. Causes: Most commonly fatty deposits in arteries, causing poor blood circulation. Risk factors: Smoking, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and age, particularly after 50, and family history of PAD, heart disease or stroke. Affects: Extremities, usually legs, causing pain for about one in 10. Impact: Severe cases lead to amputation or death. How stem-cells help: These “master cells” can divide and form different cells, including blood, brain, muscle and bone. Why PAD?: Treatments show the cells can cause new blood vessels to grow. Source: MayoClinic.com; Grant Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/02/new_stem_cell_procedure_helps.html

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