Advanced Coronary Artery Disease Treatment
A Better Quality of Life for Heart Disease Patients
Our Mission for Advanced Cardiac Care
To bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) using cardiac stem cell therapy.
A New Option for “No-Option” Patients
There are approximately 2.2 million patients with coronary artery disease in the United States who would not benefit from additional:
- Stents
- Coronary bypass grafts
- Medications
They are unfortunately labeled as “no-option” patients. Many more people live with heart damage from a heart attack. Okyanos brings a new option to all these people – cardiac stem cell therapy – that has indicated to be safe and effective in a number of clinical trials and provides a better quality of life to heart disease patients. Dr. Howard Walpole, Chief Medical Officer, leads our cardiac stem cell therapy team. Dr. Walpole, is a prominent cardiologist, having recently been elected a Trustee of the American College of Cardiology. He previously practiced interventional cardiology at Saint Thomas Heart in Nashville, TN for 24 years.
Our Cardiac Cell Therapy
Okyanos Heart Institute uses adult stem cells sourced from a your own adipose (fat) tissue.
- The adipose tissue is harvested via a small liposuction procedure
- The regenerated stem cells are isolated from the fat with an EU-approved cell-processing device, the Celution® system
- The cells are then infused into the damaged part of the heart via catheter
- The patient is observed for by the cardiologist in the clinic for 4 to 6 hours after the procedure
Learn more about what to expect during your stay at Okyanos Heart Institute. Our Center of Excellence is:
- Focused on safe and rigorously researched cardiac stem cell therapy
- Staffed with an experienced medical team specifically trained to provide cardiac cell therapy
- Follows U.S. surgical center standards
- A pristine, outpatient facility with state-of-the-art equipment located in Freeport, The Bahamas
At the Okyanos Heart Institute, patients can expect advanced cardiac care and a highly personalized patient and family experience where they can receive the potential benefits of cardiac regenerative stem cell therapy in a state-of-the-art facility.
How Okyanos’ Advanced Cardiac Care Can Help You
OKYANOS (Ôkeanos, or Oceanus), the Greek God of Rivers as mentioned in Homer’s The Iliad, is the symbol of the great earth-encircling river Okyanos – the source of all the earth’s fresh-water, including rivers, wells, springs and rain-clouds. The name symbolizes the primary mechanism of action that these stem cells provide – the improvement of blood flow in ischemic (lack of blood flow) heart tissue. Ischemic tissue has been damaged as a result of plaque deposits in the coronary arteries. The stem cells derived from a person’s own adipose (fat) tissue and delivered to the damaged heart create new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Results of the treatment include:
- Better blood flow in the heart
- More of the heart muscle survives after receiving regenerative cell therapy.
- Enhanced intake and use of oxygen
- MVO2 (maximum volume of oxygen consumption) significantly improved in stem cell treated patients
- Improvement in the ability to perform physical activity
- METS (metabolic equivalents of task), a measure of physical strength, significantly improved for the treatment patients
In addition to PRECISE, a number of other cardiac cell therapy trials done at leading research institutions such as Texas Heart Institute, University of Miami and Minnesota Heart Institute have shown consistently strong results that stem cell therapy has a positive, measurable and persistent effect on the heart. These trials have also demonstrated that the trend of coronary artery disease can be reversed for certain patients as a result of cardiac cell therapy. Cardiac cell therapy looks to be a breakthrough in caring for patients with heart disease. Okyanos’ Chairman Matt Feshbach explains it simply. “Okyanos Heart Institute was founded to bring a new option, backed by strong science and rigorous clinical trials, to CAD patients who have exhausted all other options. Maximizing the quality of life for heart disease patients, their families and our society is the singular focus of Okyanos.”
