The Department of Orthopaedics GMC Jammu has for the first time instituted stem cell therapy for a patient with knee osteoarthritis, joining the select group of medical centres in India where stem cells have been used for this condition.

Stem cell therapy is a newer treatment to prevent progression of osteoarthritis in mild to moderate disease and can prevent or delay the need for total knee replacement. It is a day-care procedure and the patient can be discharged on the same day.

The procedure was conducted by Associate Professor Orthopaedics Dr Bias Dev, with assistance from Dr Tahir Afzal and Dr Tadeel Rashid at Bone and Joint Hospital Jammu, on a 65-year-old patient Bishno Devi, resident of Bainglar Samba, who had been seeking total knee replacement for osteoarthritis-related knee pain.

The treatment requires maintenance of a strict cold chain, with stem cells transported in a liquid nitrogen chamber at minus 90 degrees Celsius.

The required materials were arranged through the Ayushman Bharat Scheme at no cost to the patient. Bishno Devi and her family expressed gratitude to the treating team and GMC administration, particularly Principal GMC Dr Ashutosh Gupta, for making the facility available.