Unfortunately, it is common for diabetic patients to get wounds on their feet. In fact, amputation is a big risk for diabetics. Fortunately, stem cells from umbilical cord tissue are being used to treat these and other wounds. “We’re using the stem cells and the growth factors of this tissue together to make a graft for a patient,” says Foot Surgeon Dr. Andrew Rice at Fairfield County Foot Surgeons.
A skin graft processed from the inner side of the umbilical cord is used to help close tough to heal open wounds. Dr. Rice says, “We place this over the wound surface and it looks like we are completely covered, we have new skin that has formed over the wound we have.”
Another potential benefit: “We’re hopeful,” Dr. Rice adds, “that some point, we can heal wounds and that we will never see that site become a wound again.”
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