Welcome!
Meet Dr. Pagdin and learn about our Stem Cell Therapy treatments.
Dr. Pagdin Explains How Stem Cell Therapy Works
Dr Grant Pagdin welcomes you to the Pagdin Health Clinic and talks about his background, how the Stem Cell procedure works.
Hi. I'm Dr. Grant Pagdin. Thanks for watching this video today on stem cell therapy. I'll give you a little bit of background. I graduated from the University of British Columbia Medical School back in 1988. I pursued certification in family medicine, and a fellowship in family medicine, and then I specialized in emergency medicine for about 10 years. I wrote the American Board Exams in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine in 2008, and have since done a six month fellowship in stem cell medicine.
In our office, stem cell medicine involves harvesting three things from a person. First, we take some blood and we prepare the platelets.
Platelets are full of growth factors important for helping to regenerate tissues. Second, we also harvest some fat, which contains an important type of stem cells called mesenchymal stem cells. Thirdly, we also harvest bone marrow, which contains another kind of stem cells called hematopoietic stem cells. All of these things together constitute what we call, stem cell therapy.
Now many people would be concerned about the pain involved in harvesting these materials. But you would be surprised to learn that most people will tell us the amount of discomfort they experience is very minimal, perhaps a 2/10.
The areas of the body that I treat are the peripheral joints. Shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. We will harvest enough biologic material that we are able to inject two major joints at one sitting. The total length of time that you would be here from start to finish, is about two and a half hours.
What to Expect
Dr Grant Pagdin talks about what to expect when you come in for your Stem Cell Procedure
So, once your blood sample has been harvested, it's going to be placed in this centrifuge, where it spins for 14 minutes, a little over 3,000 RPI's. And this allows us to eliminate the red blood cells and the white blood cells, and to concentrate your platelets by a factor of five.
This concentration is important for the appropriate release of the growth factors.
Next, when we harvest the biologic materials, the fat of the bone marrow, we're going to be using disposable surgical instruments here, which prevents any risk of cross-contamination.
And finally, when it comes time to inject those materials, we'll be using this Ultrasound machine. This is a Fuji Sono site, which is equipped with needle enhancement technology that allows us to precisely visualize the needle at the area we are injecting.
You'll be leaving the office with an information package that will include advice about exercises, specific nutritional supplements, and my personal cell phone number, should you have any further issues or questions.
Risks and Safety
Dr Grant Pagdin talks about the risks of stem cell therapy, long term effects, and about Pagdin Health health and safety
It's important that you should understand something about the risks of these procedures. Of course, with any medical procedure, there's going to be some risks. So we always inform our patients that they should expect some degree of pain after the anesthetic wears off, and for the next two or three days, so we do provide pain medicine for this purpose.
Another fairly common side effect is that people could feel a bit nauseated or dizzy during the procedure. That happens maybe 5% or 10% of the time. The risk of bleeding and bruising is quite low, less than 1%. The risk of infection is very rare. An infection in a joint would be less than 1 in 50,000. An allergic reaction would also be extremely rare, and you might also be wondering about long-term safety. When patients are given their own cells and followed for 10 years, studies have demonstrated that these procedures are very safe.
Our staff have all received specialized training in stem cell procedures. We follow precise operating procedures and health and safety policies. On site, we also have a crash kit, which is equipped with emergency medicines, and an automatic external defibrillator.
History of Stem Cell Therapy
Dr. Pagdin discusses the history of stem cell procedure and Health Canada’s view.
While stem cell therapy is not yet recognized in Canada as a treatment option for musculoskeletal conditions, it is widely performed in many parts of the world.
In Europe, these types of procedures have been going on for more than 20 years, in Australia more than 15 years, and in the USA more than 10 years.
Health Canada did approve the equipment that we use for harvesting biologic materials in our clinic since 2014, and to date, I have performed over a thousand of these procedures.
Results and Education
Dr Grant Pagdin reviews the outcomes, education and associations.
In terms of outcome, the vast majority of my patients will tell us that they have substantially decreased pain levels, increased function, often being able to return to activities they had abandoned in recent years, improved sleep, and improved quality of life scores.
The key things that help us to stay on the forefront of stem cell medicine are I regularly attend International Orthopedic Foundation meetings and the Orthobiologic Institute Meetings.
I'm a member of the Biologic Orthopedic Society, the International Society of Stem Cell Research, and the Orthobiologics Ethics Consortium.
How We Determine If You Are a Suitable Candidate
Dr Pagdin reviews how to find out if you are a suitable candidate for stem cell therapy.
To find out if you are a suitable candidate for stem cell therapy, you would need to provide us with a copy of your x-ray or CT scan or MRI of the joint concerned, as well as a CBC blood test, which tells us your hemoglobin and your platelet count. I personally will review your information and advise you if you are an appropriate candidate for stem cell therapy.
Next, you will receive an information package and be scheduled for a medical consultation with one of my nurses. This can be done in person if you live locally, but it could certainly be done over the telephone.
Thank you for spending this time with me. I look forward to welcoming you to Pagdin Health in the near future.