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Medicine First successful double transplantation of both hands in a child
A ten-year-old boy from the United States lost his hands at the age of two due to bacteria-induced blood poisoning. One and a half years ago, he got two donor hands transplanted. Today the boy can write again with his hands, get dressed and eat independently.
Boy lost his hands due to blood poisoning
"When I was two, my hands had to be cut off because I was sick." That's how Zion Harvey described what he had experienced at the age of two, according to a BBC report. The child had suffered from bacteria-induced sepsis, which included kidney failure and loss of hands, parts of the forearms and feet. One year and a half ago, the boy, who was eight years old at the time, got two donor hands transplanted. Today he can write with his hands, get dressed and eat independently.
In the US, two donor hands were transplanted to a child. The boy had lost his hands because of blood poisoning. Meanwhile he can write with his new hands, get dressed and eat independently. (Image: AntonioDiaz / fotolia.com) Double transplantation of hands
As reported by the doctors who carried out the transplantation in the journal "The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health", the ten-year-old boy from the USA learned 18 months after the operation to do more with his new hands than before with his stumps.
It was reported that this was not the first double transplantation of hands - which took place in 1998 - but Zion was the youngest patient to have undergone the surgery.
According to the doctors, the boy and his brain had to get used to using their hands after surgery.
The doctor Dr. med. Sandra Amaral of the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia told the BBC that Zion continues to make significant progress.
Transplanted hands grow with the body
"His brain communicates with his hands," said the head of the surgical team, Scott Levin, in a Youtube video. "It tells them to move, and they move. That alone is remarkable because this part of the brain was not active for six years of his life. "
The boy had already had a kidney transplanted by his mother at the age of four. One and a half years ago, the double transplantation of the hands took place.
The surgery, which according to the doctors lasted 10 hours and 40 minutes, was prepared for two years. From a medical point of view, especially the connection of the small nerves and blood vessels was a challenge.
Dr. According to BBC, Benjamin Chang said: "We really wanted to make sure they work for our patients for a lifetime."
In the first year after the operation, physicians feared that their hands would be repelled by the body several times, but this could be prevented by optimizing the medication.
Over time, the boy was able to move his hands ever better and perceive stimuli through his hands. His perception continues to improve. It's wonderful. " Amaral.
It should also be emphasized that the hands have grown with the body. Nothing was known about the donor.
Spectacular progress in transplantation medicine
The positive course of the double transplantation joins in a variety of spectacular operations. Transplantation medicine has made tremendous progress in recent years.
For example, since 2010, successful face transplants have repeatedly been performed.
Two years ago, medical professionals succeeded in the sensational transplantation of a skullcap.
In 2016, the first penile grafting was carried out in the USA and in Germany, a uterus transplant is planned for the first time.
However, even more sensational are the plans of an Italian surgeon: he wants to perform a head transplant for the first time. (Ad)