 |
|
|
|
|
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.
 |
|
|
|
Amazing! Best wishes to Airman Porfirio for a speedy recovery
My Mother is a diabetic and a leap in science that helps increase the quality of life of diabetics is good. I laude the efforts of both groups of doctors at Walter Reed and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Great work! As a military veteran, myself, I would like to thank SrA Porfirio for his sevice. Good luck on the road to recovery!
...and people say military medicine is not worth its weight. Ha! This is absolutely outstanding!
I keep you in my thoughts SrA Porfirio; you're a testament to the strong will that our Airman, much less all our folks in the Armed Services, to succeed in the face of adversity. May your recovery be swift!
Sgt. E
Hey Tre, thanks for serving man. You are a hero and I am glad to hear you are doing well. Hang in there man, we are all pulling for you.
Wow! What an amazing story!
I didn't think people could live without a pancreas.
Now this is the kind of news I'd like to hear more about.
Congratulations to all the doctors and other medical personnel involved.
This is what the United States is all about. This is the type of story that makes me so proud of our country.
My thanks to the serviceman for what he has given for freedom. We will always owe him a debt of gratitude.
Thanks to all of you for making this a happy day for me.
This is amazing. I thought the body normally couldn't function without the pancreas. I'm wondering if we're seeing a sneak peek at future treatment for diabetes and maybe even pancreatic cancer. Bravo!
This is awesome news. Kudos to the medical team and swift healing to the Wounded Warrior.
Excellent work by talented people and a wonderful logistical system.
Full marks to all concerned.
John Ryan
Professor.Sanford S
This is the way our military members and veterans should be treated. Nothing but the best and all obstacles removed. Great job all involved.
What an amazing process. I pray SRA Porfirio continues to get better.
pretty amazing medicine
It is so great to hear about the advances in medical science that allows doctors to heal our fellow service members. My hope is that SrA Porfirio can return to service if he desires.
Just wanted to say thank you to all the Doctors that helped Tre out. I was stationed with him in Afghanistan when this all happen. He's a good and strong soldier. My prayers are to him and his family. I pray for a full recovery. Take care Tre!!!
SSgt Hornsby
Amazing. I hope this can become the norm for people who lose their pancreas!!
– A
I can't imagine what kind of courage it must have taken Tre to fight his way through this severe wound. Proud to serve alongside young Americans like him. /salute
Sgt. EP
This is an amazing story and I want to wish Sr. Airman Porfirio a speedy recovery and I want to wish him and his family a Healthy and Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!
HO AH. Way to go. Kudos to all involved including the patient. You all could have been home with your families and put this off until later. I am humbled and I salute you for taking care of one of my 'soldiers'.
SMAJ
The US and their science will never stop to stop to amaze me. What a wonderful procedure! Kudos to all that were involed.
WOW!!!
God bless those doctors!
You are not right. I suggest it to discuss.
Sustain the exceptional work !! Lovin' it!
web http://nfactor.org/members/anne95k483357/activity/162949/
http://wooddeck.ga/eco/2986.htmlالجدار لوحات الحائط الخشب الحبوب الخشبية
وك لوحات الموردين http://wooddeck.ga/cheap/2108.html
best female viagra brand can i buy sildenafil over the counter in uk pfizer viagra for sale
se una ragazza prende viagra viagra acid reflux topix viagra online
pfizer online viagra viagra pills price canada viagra tablet india
how to get viagra in us viagra 50mg online order viagra generic wholesale
where to buy sildenafil online with paypal viagra cost canada where can i get sildenafil 100mg
sildenafil 20 mg tablets cost viagra coupon canada sildenafil generic buy
generic viagra canada viagra 100 mg best price in india where to buy female viagra australia
es bueno tomar viagra a los 20 aГ±os viagra salvador bahia comprar viagra lima
politics dissertation best essay writer company speech writing essay
write a good research paper basics of essay writing guidelines for writing an essay
write my paper for me cheap essay help service get homework done fast
thesis assistance help writing paper history of essay writing
college essay visiting family recommendation research paper essays on canadian writing
writing thesis statements dissertation online 123 help me free essay code
george orwell essay on writing writing a great essay good powerpoint presentations
best homework college online help the help movie analysis essay differentiation of trigonometric functions homework
2 paragraph essay writer for cheap solve my physics homework exceptional college essays
online help with chemistry homework essay writing definition wedding speech writing service
buy dissertation online essay for college dissertation proposal literature review
generic viagra buy low cost viagra generic genric viagra
perfect cover letter australian assignment help students assignment help
viagra effects on men viagra 100 mg purchase viagra in usa
help with writing a cover letter importance of college essay ivy league college essays
paper writing website custom writing service writing a wedding speech
why is essay writing important where can i buy essays help me write a thesis
viagra super active 100mg pills viagra or cialis or levitra trial viagra time of action
buying viagra in canada cheapest place to buy viagra viagra prix
viagra vs levitra vs cialis reviews where to get generic cialis without prescription low cost cialis