 |
|
|
|
|
December 15th, 2009
05:49 PM ET
Landmark trauma surgery was a collaborative effortBy Val Willingham On November 21, Senior Airman Tre Porfirio was struck in the gut by three high velocity bullets while serving in Afghanistan. Porfirio, from St. Mary's, Georgia, was seriously injured; his entire digestive system was in danger of shutting down. During two operations in combat hospitals, surgeons removed his gallbladder along with portions of his large and small intestines, part of his stomach and a large section of his pancreas. Col. Craig Shriver, chief of general surgery at Walter Reed, knew he had to remove the airman's remaining pancreas, which was found to be damaged beyond repair. "The optimal procedure at this point was to remove his entire remaining pancreas to prevent further leakage of the pancreatic enzymes and control the bleeding, which could be fatal," said Shriver. "We knew that the procedure would lead to the most severe and life-threatening form of diabetes, which tends to be very brittle and difficult to control in this type of situation.” In an effort to save Porfirio from severe diabetes, Shriver turned to other surgeons for suggestions. Dr. Rahul Jindal, a transplant surgeon also at Walter Reed, had training and experience in islet cell transplantation, which is considered the best hope for curing diabetes. In islet cell transplantation, the insulin-producing islets are taken from a donor pancreas, treated and then put in the patient's liver where they begin to produce insulin for the body, even if there is no pancreas. In this case, the islet cells would come from Porfirio's own pancreas. "Isolation and purification of pancreatic islets is a very intricate procedure, which requires a specialized laboratory, and there are only a few such facilities in the United States," said Jindal. But Jindal knew of the perfect facility for the job; he turned for help to the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The director of the institute, Dr. Camillio Ricordi, developed the method for isolating the islet cells from the pancreas and was considered a pioneer in the field. Ricordi immediately agreed to help, noting that he would do "anything to help a wounded warrior." Doctors at Walter Reed then proceeded to remove the remaining portion of Porfirio’s pancreas, packed it in ice and sent it to Miami. On Thanksgiving Day, just five days after Porfirio's initial injury, the cell processing team at the Diabetes Research Institute spent six hours performing the islet cell isolation and purification procedure. "More than 220,000 purified islets were then suspended in a specialized cold solution and flown back to Walter Reed,” said Ricordi. That afternoon, on that very same Thanksgiving Day, the islet cells were injected into Porfirio’s liver with Ricordi and his team coordinating the procedure with surgeons at Walter Reed via an Internet connection, a sort of high-tech telemedicine event. In the three weeks since being wounded in Afghanistan, Porfirio has undergone 11 surgeries and, according to doctors, is "doing well." In a press conference held Tuesday at Walter Reed Medical Center, surgeons noted that there was evidence of the airman’s islet cells functioning in his liver less than one week after surgery; 15 days after the procedure, the transplanted islet cells were functioning in the normal range. His physicians say as time goes on, the islet cells in the liver will get stronger; when that happens, Porfirio's insulin requirement is expected to decrease. And although he'll still have a form of diabetes, the complication won't be as dangerous and he'll have a better quality of life. Doctors from both the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and surgeons at Walter Reed believe this transplantation is the first of its kind in a wounded soldier. They hope the success of the procedure will allow for more cases of islet cell transplantation in military personnel, as more of our fighting men and women return from war with injuries like those of Senior Airman Porfirio. |
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
 |
|
|
|
buying viagra on line Avalide but viagra overnight delivery http://erectilejyzd.com/ – canada pharmacy online orders ’
meds online canadian pharmacy review online pharmacy busted
birth control generic viagra sildenafil citrate online pharmacies in usa
buy prescription drugs online price prescription drugs drug price
walgreens online pharmacy canadianpharmacy northwest pharmacy/com
online prescription drugs canadian pharmacy world price prescription drugs
walmart pharmacy price check skin care national pharmacies online
Thanks for the marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading it, you're a great author.I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will often come back down the road. I want to encourage continue your great work, have a nice day!
http://www.zortilonrel.com/
Hmm it seems like your site ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I'll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I'm still new to everything. Do you have any helpful hints for first-time blog writers? I'd really appreciate it.
http://www.zortilonrel.com/
Thank you for another informative website. The place else could I am getting that type of information written in such a perfect way? I have a undertaking that I'm simply now running on, and I've been on the look out for such info.
http://www.zortilonrel.com/
how to buy cialis online canadian cialis 200 mg. levitra vs cialis
viagra using paypal buy viagra thailand fast shipping viagra cheap
There are definitely loads of particulars like that to take into consideration. That could be a great level to deliver up. I provide the ideas above as common inspiration however clearly there are questions like the one you carry up where a very powerful factor will probably be working in sincere good faith. I don?t know if greatest practices have emerged around issues like that, but I am positive that your job is clearly identified as a good game. Both girls and boys feel the impact of just a moment’s pleasure, for the remainder of their lives.
https://europa-road.eu/hu/vasuti-szallitmanyozas.php
I got what you intend, thankyou for posting.Woh I am delighted to find this website through google.
https://europa-road.eu/hu/gepszallitas.php
You are a very clever person!
https://g.page/fokuszpalyazat
cialis pierde efecto superiore al cialis cialis acheter belgique
viagra on line\' canadian family pharmacy canadianpharmacyusa24h
cialis durata effetti cialis promotional codes buy viagra cialis uk
cash advance seminole tx can i get away with not paying a payday loan cash advance loan montel williams
avon magix cashmere advanced liquid foundation review payday loans uk no brokers bad credit cash advance in rittman ohio
payday advance loans omaha 50000 cash loan payday loans close to me
payday loans reported credit bureau payday advances brampton long term loans money supermarket
viagra super active,free shipping viagra sydney overnight viagra delivery usa
is erectile dysfunction dangerous plaquenil brand name erectile problems
where to buy generic cialis ? cialis cheap cialis purchase
prescription generic viagra http://vigedon.com/ sildenafil 12.5 mg
tadalafil tablets 5mg tadalafil daily use tadalafil e20 pill
buy viagra online amazon 20mg viagra how well does viagra work