Planting seeds of innovation in healthcare

The IU Health Southern Indiana Physicians Vascular Surgery team showed their dedication to providing the latest innovations to patients in early December by implanting a Human Acellular Vessel (HAV), which is a first in Indiana.

“Our vision and intention are not merely for now and today, but also to plant seeds of this innovative surgical care for our future humanity," said the case’s lead surgeon, Duangnapa Cuddy, DO, RPVI, IU Health Southern Indiana Physicians Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon.

The goal of the procedure was to improve outcomes for a kidney disease patient, which is just one of the potential healthcare uses HAV has.

HAV is a bioengineered replacement human blood vessel grown in a lab. The resulting blood vessel is self-healing like a normal blood vessel and can be more durable than the patient’s other veins and better able to hold up to the multiple needle injections kidney dialysis patients need per week.

Dr. Cuddy continued,

“The graft was engineered for humanitarian use, not for commercial use. The execution was just a small piece of the big puzzle within a global humanitarianism. Nevertheless, every piece of the puzzle is critical clue to achieve the big picture. Long-term vision is that if the graft implantation of vessel is successful and have acceptable long-term outcome in sufficient population number, its technology can be advanced to more utility of organ regenerative therapy, such as in pediatric and cardiac therapy.”

Dr. Cuddy emphasized the importance of collaboration that occurred between team members and specialists of different healthcare areas in making this surgery possible.

One of her collaborators, IU Health Southern Indiana Physicians Vascular Surgeon David Peterson, MD, said, “Dr. Duangnapa Somsuppaphon Cuddy’s humanitarian first regenerative reconstruction for her patient defines the IU Health values guiding care teams toward making Indiana one of the nation’s healthiest states.”

Dr. Cuddy, Dr. Peterson, and their team wishes the patient well and look forward to seeing how this new advancement in healthcare will help others moving forward.