This archive report was first published on 1 September 2019.
Bringing Life Back to a Dead Heart and New Hope for Ailing Patients ¶
Published on September 1, 2019
Scientists have made significant breakthroughs in treating Haemophilia A and heart transplants, offering new hope to patients and their families.
Haemophilia A is a genetic condition that affects boys and men, causing their blood to lack a protein that makes it clot. This can lead to uncontrollable bleeding, even from a simple graze. To manage this, patients like two-year-old Christopher Stephens require regular injections of a medication that mimics the action of the missing protein.
However, a new therapy has been developed that can be injected weekly or fortnightly, just under the skin, rather than into a vein. This is a significant improvement for patients like Christopher, who often experience distress during the injection process.
Christopher's mother, Christy, shared her son's experience with the BBC, saying, 'That just kills you as a parent' when he would say, 'Mummy, don't hurt me' during injections.
Meanwhile, a groundbreaking heart transplant procedure has been developed, which involves taking a heart that has stopped beating, restarting it, and implanting it in a recipient's chest. This procedure has already been used with kidneys and livers and is estimated to increase the number of heart transplants by 20%.
The latest beneficiary of this procedure is Kenneth Morris, a 65-year-old armed forces veteran who received a heart transplant at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Mr. Asif Shah, the lead surgeon, said, 'We are delighted with Kenneth's progress. His transplant was a great success and he was discharged five weeks later.'
These breakthroughs are a testament to the dedication and hard work of medical scientists, who continue to push the boundaries of medical research and treatment.
