Stem Cell Heart Procedure

[AmeriThai]

Hawaiian crooner, Don Ho, 75, is recovering from a stem cell procedure done December 6, in Bangkok to help his ailing heart. Ho says he’s “feeling terrific.” His own stem cells were reproduced at a lab in France to use for the procedure.

News report dated Dec. 22, 2005

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10578707/

[coconut wireless]

So does anyone know which Hospital he had the surgery at?

living with aloha

the coconut wireless

[coconut wireless]

So does anyone know which Hospital he had the surgery at?

living with aloha

the coconut wireless

[AmeriThai]

So does anyone know which Hospital he had the surgery at?

living with aloha

the coconut wireless

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The surgery was done at Bangkok Heart Hospital. Ho’s physician in Thailand was Kitipan Visudharom from the hospital. Cost of the surgery was US $30,000. Try to find a price like that in the US.

http://www.bangkokheart.com/

“Dr. Amit Patel, a heart surgeon from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who oversaw the procedure in Bangkok, said Ho may be singing before Christmas.

Ho underwent a new treatment Tuesday that has not been approved in the United States. It involves multiplying stem cells taken from his blood and injecting them into his heart in hopes of strengthening the organ.

Patel said Ho was one among the first patients with a weakened heart muscle not due to blockages in the coronary arteries selected for the VesCell adult stem cell therapy.

The experimental procedure was developed by TheraVitae Co., which has offices in Thailand and laboratories in Israel, where Ho’s stem cells were sent to be multiplied. The surgery costs roughly $30,000.

Ho, who has entertained tourists for more than four decades, has suffered from heart problems for about a year. He had a pacemaker implanted a few months ago.

In August, he was admitted to a hospital with shortness of breath. He was treated for an abnormal heart rhythm and released after three days. He soon returned to his Waikiki show on a reduced schedule.”

http://rss.msnbc.msn.com/id/10384314/

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/325450...ment/index.html

Edited December 28, 2005 by AmeriThai

[mbkudu]

In the US, $30,000 might cover the hospital stay, but not the sugery, even if they were able to do it.

[AmeriThai]

Correction:

The labs are reported to be in Israel, not France.

[AmeriThai]

In the US,  $30,000 might cover the hospital stay, but not the sugery, even if they were able to do it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree. I don't think you'd find anything close to that pricewise in the US, unless you've got good medical insurance.

[coconut wireless]

In the US,  $30,000 might cover the hospital stay, but not the sugery, even if they were able to do it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree. I don't think you'd find anything close to that pricewise in the US, unless you've got good medical insurance.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

forget the price you as you said you couldn't even get the operation and if you could it would be more like $100,000

and thanks AmeriThai for the web site and information-not sure why but the hospital and the thai doctor was not mentioned in any of our news articles even after the stars return back to HNL.

aloha

the coconut wireless

[AmeriThai]

forget the price you as you said you couldn't even get the operation and if you could it would be more like $100,000

and thanks AmeriThai for the web site and information-not sure why but the hospital and the thai doctor was not mentioned in any of our news articles even after the stars return back to HNL.

aloha

the coconut wireless

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My pleasure. I hope the info is helpful. I sent an email to the admin of Don Ho's website. The guy who replied didn't know the doctor or the hospital either. Go figure. Anyway, I did a bit of hunting and found both.

I'm not sure if medical insurance in the US would cover a stem cell procedure or not. Even if they do, I doubt it would cover having such a procedure done in Thailand (as in this case) which is outside of the US.

[coconut wireless]

forget the price you as you said you couldn't even get the operation and if you could it would be more like $100,000

and thanks AmeriThai for the web site and information-not sure why but the hospital and the thai doctor was not mentioned in any of our news articles even after the stars return back to HNL.

aloha

the coconut wireless

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My pleasure. I hope the info is helpful. I sent an email to the admin of Don Ho's website. The guy who replied didn't know the doctor or the hospital either. Go figure. Anyway, I did a bit of hunting and found both.

I'm not sure if medical insurance in the US would cover a stem cell procedure or not. Even if they do, I doubt it would cover having such a procedure done in Thailand (as in this case) which is outside of the US.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

no med insurance won't cover the procedure as they haven't approved it yet. If our policies don't change in this country (and I don't mean insurance) we are going to be left standing in the dust

our whole medical insurance needs an overhaul - but the "stupid" white men who run the country wouldn't approve Hillary Clintons Health plan reform in 1992. By the way I'm white but not a man and hopefully not too stupid

aloha

the coconut wireless

[AmeriThai]

no med insurance won't cover the procedure as they haven't approved it yet.  If our policies don't change in this country (and I don't mean insurance) we are going to be left standing in the dust

our whole medical insurance needs an overhaul  - but the "stupid" white men who run the country wouldn't approve Hillary Clintons Health plan reform in 1992.  By the way I'm white but not a man and hopefully not too stupid 

aloha

the coconut wireless

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Stupidity makes no distinction as to who becomes inflicted with a case of the stupids. It’s available to all who allow it regardless of gender, age, education, status, race, etc.

“Healthcare For All” has been proposed numerous times, but somehow gets sidetracked probably in part because of medical lobbyists as well as other factors. The state of Oregon had a great healthcare plan that had been a model of affordable public healthcare insurance, which I think began during the Clinton administration. Unfortunately, the Oregon Health Plan is now a mere shell of what it started out as thanks to pressure by the Federal government forcing the state to make budget cuts.

When Hillary won a seat in the Senate, she knew she’d have to join the Good Ol’ Boys Club up on Capitol Hill if she wanted to be taken seriously. So she took matters into her own hands to be just like the other guys!

Don Ho’s website mentions the St. Francis Healthcare Foundation. Although nothing is mentioned in connection with the stem cell procedure, it may be that the Foundation had a hand in assisting or making arrangements for Ho. It’s worth mentioning the first link I posted mentions a physician in the US who acted as the primary physician in assisting Ho with his medical problem.

“The therapy was supervised by Dr. Amit Patel, a heart surgeon from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.”

The end result is that it led Ho to have this procedure done in Thailand. Thailand deserves a lot of credit for being progressive in such ways as this. The problem in the US isn’t so much about stem cell research, as it is with research on embryonic stem cells. And that’s because of a religious/moralistic view about embryos. Okay, that’s fine. But Ho’s procedure involved stem cells from his own blood and had nothing to do with embryos. Still, the general confusion about stem cell research is due to the media in the US, which leads people to think that it is always exclusively connected with embryos, which as shown in Ho’s case, had nothing to do with embryos. Controversial issues are what attract the most attention -and sells- for the media.

Because of this kind of confusion, stem cell research and the application of stem cell procedures is far, far behind other countries who recognize the value of the application in medical practice. The US would do well to take a good look at how Thailand and other countries are dealing with the subject of stem cell procedures to help save lives.

The whole issue of subjects such as stem cell research or public healthcare insurance, in the US, gets pretty complex, and needlessly so I might add. That’s pretty astonishing considering the high level of technological sophistication of the US.

[gurkle]

forget the price you as you said you couldn't even get the operation and if you could it would be more like $100,000

and thanks AmeriThai for the web site and information-not sure why but the hospital and the thai doctor was not mentioned in any of our news articles even after the stars return back to HNL.

aloha

the coconut wireless

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My pleasure. I hope the info is helpful. I sent an email to the admin of Don Ho's website. The guy who replied didn't know the doctor or the hospital either. Go figure. Anyway, I did a bit of hunting and found both.

I'm not sure if medical insurance in the US would cover a stem cell procedure or not. Even if they do, I doubt it would cover having such a procedure done in Thailand (as in this case) which is outside of the US.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

no med insurance won't cover the procedure as they haven't approved it yet. If our policies don't change in this country (and I don't mean insurance) we are going to be left standing in the dust

our whole medical insurance needs an overhaul - but the "stupid" white men who run the country wouldn't approve Hillary Clintons Health plan reform in 1992. By the way I'm white but not a man and hopefully not too stupid

aloha

the coconut wireless

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why should I, who rightfully earn my own money by working hard, have to pay for YOUR insurance?

Why should doctors have to be slave labor to you rather than get paid fairly?

Why is it immoral for me to want to use my own money help my own family rather than a complete stranger who doesn't want to pay for their own medical care?

When the "government" pays for insurance, they're not really paying for it. It comes from MY tax money.

Edited January 3, 2006 by gurkle

[coconut wireless]

forget the price you as you said you couldn't even get the operation and if you could it would be more like $100,000

and thanks AmeriThai for the web site and information-not sure why but the hospital and the thai doctor was not mentioned in any of our news articles even after the stars return back to HNL.

aloha

the coconut wireless

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My pleasure. I hope the info is helpful. I sent an email to the admin of Don Ho's website. The guy who replied didn't know the doctor or the hospital either. Go figure. Anyway, I did a bit of hunting and found both.

I'm not sure if medical insurance in the US would cover a stem cell procedure or not. Even if they do, I doubt it would cover having such a procedure done in Thailand (as in this case) which is outside of the US.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

no med insurance won't cover the procedure as they haven't approved it yet. If our policies don't change in this country (and I don't mean insurance) we are going to be left standing in the dust

our whole medical insurance needs an overhaul - but the "stupid" white men who run the country wouldn't approve Hillary Clintons Health plan reform in 1992. By the way I'm white but not a man and hopefully not too stupid

aloha

the coconut wireless

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why should I, who rightfully earn my own money by working hard, have to pay for YOUR insurance?

Why should doctors have to be slave labor to you rather than get paid fairly?

Why is it immoral for me to want to use my own money help my own family rather than a complete stranger who doesn't want to pay for their own medical care?

When the "government" pays for insurance, they're not really paying for it. It comes from MY tax money.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

not to worry I don't live in your country so yu won't be paying for anything for me

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Thanks to the OP for the most interesting and informative post.

[AmeriThai]

Don Ho is back to work less than two months after his stem cell procedure in Bangkok. It shows that stem cell treatments can be beneficial.

"Before the stem cell treatment in Bangkok last month, Ho had been lethargic for months. He suffered from cardiomyopathy, a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and does not function normally.

After a particularly difficult show on Thanksgiving, he decided to move ahead with the procedure, Jung said.

VesCell therapy uses stem cells taken from the patient's own blood. The stem cells are isolated then multiplied through a patented lab-grown process.

The cells are then inserted directly into the heart or arteries to help restore damaged tissue and ultimately regulate the patient's heartbeat.

Stem cell treatment is still under review in the United States and not allowed here.

Ho, whose heart was operating at 10 percent capacity before the surgery, hopes that in the next six months he'll regain 50 percent to 75 percent of his heart's ability to pump blood.

At the end of his show last night, Ho spoke briefly about trying to get the word out about this alternative treatment."

Reported on Jan. 23, 2006

- The Honolulu Advertiser

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/...P601230356.html

Edited January 24, 2006 by AmeriThai

[Thai-Spy]

'Tiny Bubbles' singer Don Ho dies at 76

HONOLULU - Legendary crooner Don Ho, who entertained tourists for decades wearing raspberry-tinted sunglasses and singing the catchy signature tune "Tiny Bubbles," has died. He was 76.

He died Saturday morning of heart failure, publicist Donna Jung said.

Ho had suffered with heart problems for the past several years, and had a pacemaker installed last fall. In 2005, he underwent an experimental stem cell procedure on his ailing heart in Thailand.

R.I.P.

[Dakhar]

forget the price you as you said you couldn't even get the operation and if you could it would be more like $100,000

and thanks AmeriThai for the web site and information-not sure why but the hospital and the thai doctor was not mentioned in any of our news articles even after the stars return back to HNL.

aloha

the coconut wireless

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My pleasure. I hope the info is helpful. I sent an email to the admin of Don Ho's website. The guy who replied didn't know the doctor or the hospital either. Go figure. Anyway, I did a bit of hunting and found both.

I'm not sure if medical insurance in the US would cover a stem cell procedure or not. Even if they do, I doubt it would cover having such a procedure done in Thailand (as in this case) which is outside of the US.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

no med insurance won't cover the procedure as they haven't approved it yet. If our policies don't change in this country (and I don't mean insurance) we are going to be left standing in the dust

our whole medical insurance needs an overhaul - but the "stupid" white men who run the country wouldn't approve Hillary Clintons Health plan reform in 1992. By the way I'm white but not a man and hopefully not too stupid

aloha

the coconut wireless

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why should I, who rightfully earn my own money by working hard, have to pay for YOUR insurance?

Why should doctors have to be slave labor to you rather than get paid fairly?

Why is it immoral for me to want to use my own money help my own family rather than a complete stranger who doesn't want to pay for their own medical care?

When the "government" pays for insurance, they're not really paying for it. It comes from MY tax money.

I have yet to meet a poor physician in America, but I have met a lot of dishonest money grubbing, money laundering, tax theiving, inept, medicare theiving, employee robbing physicians.

Let me pose a question to this audience. Why is it that physicians earn the most in America, but their own staff, have medicaid health coverage? I would be disgusted with myself if I were a physician and paid my staff so little that they were eligible for medicaid. How physicians that engage in such activities even look in the mirror I have no idea.

I have worked along such greedy physicians in my day. MD's that make over 300K USD but still instruct their staff to "up-bill" or up code insurance claims. Flat out fraud in the eyes of the gov. But rarely is anything ever done about it.

I hope Michael more corn holes the health care scam-distry with his documentary "Sicko."