A heart surgeon has carried out a 'world-first' operation using stem cells from placentas to cure a baby's heart defect. Professor Massimo Caputo from the Bristol Heart Institute used pioneering stem cell injections to correct a two-month-old's heart disease, which 'probably saved the life' of the boy.
The recipient of the life-saving procedure, Finley, is now two years old and 'a happy growing little boy'. He was born with the main arteries in his heart the wrong way round and at just four years old had his first open-heart surgery at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
Unfortunately, Finley's heart function continued to deteriorate significantly, and his parents were told to expect the worst and that the doctor's had 'done everything they could'. His mother Melissa, from Corsham, Wiltshire., said: "Everything happened so quickly after giving birth. It was such a shock to find out that Finley had a heart condition and that he needed open-heart surgery.
