Case Study: Cord Blood Rescue After Cardiac Arrest

In a medical saga that defies the odds, a young child who experienced a prolonged cardiac arrest, leading to a persistent vegetative state, underwent a transformative recovery after receiving an infusion of his own cord blood. The remarkable journey, documented in medical literature, unfolded over three years and stands as a beacon of hope for parents facing similar dire situations.

The nightmare began when a 2.5-year-old boy in Germany, previously healthy, fell critically ill after three days of persistent vomiting. Hospitalized, it was revealed that a twist in his intestine created a bowel obstruction, triggering relentless vomiting. A segment of his intestine had succumbed, causing a severe infection that entered his bloodstream. During his hospital stay, the child suffered a cardiac arrest, lasting over 25 minutes and requiring three rounds of defibrillation to restore circulation.

Despite surviving the cardiac arrest, the child was diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state, with brain MRIs indicating severe ischemic injury due to oxygen deprivation. The bleak neurological prognosis left little hope for meaningful recovery, and doctors considered the case ominous.

Desperate for any potential therapy, the parents turned to Vita 34, the cord blood bank where they had stored their son's cord blood. Complying with German medical regulations, the boy received an infusion of his own cord blood nine weeks post-cardiac arrest, initiating a series of follow-up tests extending to 40 months.

Follow-up Milestones:

1 Week Follow-up:

• Initial rehabilitation saw continuous crying and whimpering.
• One week after the cord blood infusion, the child ceased whimpering and responded to acoustic stimuli.

2 Month Follow-up:

• Discharged from the rehabilitation center.
• Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) progressed from 0% to 23%.
• Coma Remission Scale score improved from 33% to 92%.
• Demonstrated abilities to grasp, hold, bite, chew, and swallow.
• Partial eyesight restoration, social smiling, and vocalization ("ma-ma").
• Residual neurologic deficits included tetraparesis and hypotonic trunk.

5 Month Follow-up:

• Normal electroencephalogram (EEG) activity observed.
• Brief eye contact, responses to questions through pointing.
• Limited expressive speech.

1 Year Follow-up:

• Improved fine motor control, social interaction, and cognition.
• Independent sitting but required support to stand.
• Persistent spastic tetraparesis in the legs.

2 Year Follow-up:

• Gained independence in eating, crawling, and walking with support.
• Vocabulary expanded to eight words with improved fine motor skills.

40 Months Follow-up:

• Expressive speech advanced to a vocabulary of 200 words and four-word sentences.
• Independent standing and walking in a gait trainer.

In conclusion, the extraordinary functional neuroregeneration witnessed challenges the notion that intense rehabilitation alone could explain such remarkable progress. The study suggests that autologous cord blood transplantation may serve as an additional and causative treatment for pediatric cerebral palsy following brain damage. The story stands as an inspiring testament to the potential of medical advancements in pediatric care.

Source: https://parentsguidecordblood.org/en/news/cord-blood-rescue-after-cardiac-arrest?fbclid=IwAR0QwIV_JX6Ww0qKycHwo69ZlTlEvLiVrB7GzxKfYFEtCQxiTnAujjXzFrM