Baby's life 'probably saved' by umbilical stem cells- PublishedA heart surgeon says he "probably saved the life" of a baby by carrying out a "world-first" operation using stem cells from placentas.Unfortunately the surgery did not solve the problem and his heart function deteriorated significantly, with the left side of the heart suffering from a severe lack of blood flow.Prof Caputo injected the cells directly into Finley's heart in the hope they would help damaged blood vessels grow.Like Louie, every day in the UK, around 13 babies are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect - a heart condition that develops before the baby is born, according to the British Heart Foundation.Because the materials used to fix the heart can be rejected by the patient's immune system, they can cause scarring in the heart that can lead to other complications, and can gradually break down and fail in just a few months or years."