UCLA surgeons perform first hand transplant in the Western U.S.

Surgeons at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center at the University of California performed the first hand transplant in the western United States.

The surgery was performed in one patient of 26 years in northern California who lost his right hand in a traffic accident nearly five years ago.

Surgery

A team of 17 surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and technicians were involved in the procedure. The operation began with two surgical teams working simultaneously to prepare the graft donor and recipient.

Four and a half hours after the operation began, a member of the donor was attached to the receiver. The surgeons then began the complex task of uniting the tendons, nerves and blood vessels to complete the surgery, completed 14 hours and a half later.

After surgery, the patient was taken back to the room where he was received by the family.

She remains at the medical center and will undergo extensive physical rehabilitation and a regimen of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent his body rejecting the new member.

"I'm delighted with the outcome," said the director of surgery at UCLA, Kodi Azari. "Everything went well. The size, color and pattern of hair were almost identical between the donor and recipient. We are very proud to have been able to give our patients the gift of a new hand."

The transplant team will closely monitor the patient's progress and as your body adjusts to the new hand. As part of this, doctors will map the brain at key points of his recovery, noting that parts light up when she is asked to move his fingers or other parts of the new hand.

Hand Transplant Program at UCLA

The Hand Transplant Program at UCLA (http://transplants.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=116) is intended to help those who suffered traumatic loss of a hand or forearm, allowing them to regain function and improve their quality of life.

The eligibility criteria for the hand transplant in the study include:

The patient must be between 18 and 60 years of age;

Amputation must have occurred on the wrist or forearm level;

The patient should not have serious infections, including hepatitis B or C or HIV;

Amputation should not be due to birth defect or cancer;

The patient should meet with general good health;

The patient must commit to extensive rehabilitation, adhere to a regimen of immunosuppressive drugs and should participate in field studies.

Patients interested in participating must first undergo a thorough evaluation to determine whether they satisfy the conditions for the program. The evaluation includes detailed their clinical histories, physical examinations and laboratory tests, X-rays and a psychological examination.

After successfully completing the assessments, the patient is placed on a waiting list until a hand is found compatible.

Germany