Scott Brandt, MD, performed a stem-cell procedure to repair a patient's knee in Colorado Springs, according to The Gazette.
Here are eight things to know:
1. The stem cells utilized in the patient's knee treatment were harvested from the patient's own body, making the procedure less controversial than using embryonic stem cells.
2. The FDA has only approved one type of adult stem cell treatment which uses blood-forming stem cells from placental or umbilical cord blood for a limited number of uses.
3. Due to strict FDA regulations, physicians must remove the stem cells and re-inject them into patients during the same procedure to ensure the cells are not grown or multiplied over time. The cells may not be stored for later use.
4. Stem cell procedures are considered one of the most rapidly growing but least regulated or researched methods of treatment in medicine.
5. The procedure stated lasted approximately 3.5 hours.
6. Dr. Brandt has treated approximately 670 patients with around 75 percent of those patients having substantial pain and symptom relief. An additional 15 percent of Dr. Brandt's patients have seen moderate injury improvement.
7. As of mid-May, more than 170 patients have received stem cell injections for worn-down knees, bad backs and in some cases, face-lifts.
8. The stem cell procedures can cost up to thousands of dollars and are not typically covered by insurance companies due to minimal research.
More articles on orthopedics:
Dr. Joseph Barker gives national lecture on knee surgery cartilage treatment — 7 things to know
Danville Regional Medical Center names Dr. Ross Taylor CMO: 5 things to know
4 things to know about Mercy Health-Cincinnati's new executive director of orthopedics