World's First Double-Arm Transplant

quakeslut writes "The BBC has the scoop on the first double-arm transplant. Amazingly, after only two weeks or so, the recipient says that it already feels "as if these are my own hands." Please, keep the "give that guy a hand, or two!!" jokes to a minimum."

Comments

Interesting.

[Anal Jouster]

But I must wonder: How functional are these arms? I know after my hand transplant it was very uncomfortable for about two months as I grew adjusted to it, and I couldn't even perform simple tasks such as turning a faucet on.

Give that guy a hand....

[Anonymous Coward]

....or two!!!!!!

ha!

[Anonymous Coward]

As I'm looking at this, the advertisement shows a dude typing with his keyboard resting at a painful painful angle on his lap (it's propped up by the edge of the table), and all I can say,
"Boy is that guy gonna' need a hand transplant 5-10 years from now..."

Carpel tunnel is no picnic, people, but at least now I can be like my grandfather, who till the last days before he died of lung cancer insisted that the burgeoning pace of technology would give a cure for cancer long before he died of smoking.

Um, yeah.

Sweet

[Lshmael]

Double-arm transplants...what's next? Legs? Torsos? Heads in a Jar?

If he weren't dead, I'd steal Bruce Lee's arms.

WOH-PAH!

Re:Sweet

[jcenters]

What do you mean if he weren't dead? With today's technology?

1. Find Bruce Lee's dead corpse.

2. Extract his DNA.

3. Find a pig.

4. Insert Lee's DNA into the pig.

5. Wait a few months for the arms to grow.

6. ???

7. Profit!!

Re:Sweet

[umofomia]

1. Find Bruce Lee's dead corpse.

I'll tell you how to get there... :)

Lakeview Cemetery
1554 15th. Ave. E
Seattle, WA

Take the #10 bus from downtown Seattle, you can catch it going west on Madison St., north on 1st Ave, then east on Pike at 4th and 6th, and east at 9th and Pine St. Take this bus to the end of the line, about a 15-20 minute ride. You will pass the cemetery just before the last stop. Enter through the main gate and proceed straight ahead, up the hill. You will see a flag pole to your left,near the top of the hill. The grave is about 50 ft. north and a little east of the flag pole. Look for two 4 ft. side-by-side head stones with a small bench in front of them. Bus service is very frequent on all days except sundays.

How much did those cost?

[Mick D.]

I hope they didn't charge an arm and a leg for those, or he is still gonna be missing a limb. :)

Re:How much did those cost?

[metlin]

I hope they didn't charge an arm and a leg for those, or he is still gonna be missing a limb. :)

Or two :-p

Well

[RaboKrabekian]

Gives new meaning to the Stranger technique.

Ok, so that's pretty gross, sorry.

Re:Well

[Anonymous Coward]

You can also try using your left hand.

Re:Well

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm left handed you insensitive clod!

Finally!

[seinman]

Rick Allen finally has something to look forward to!

Zaphod,

[belbo]

is that you?

*SCNR*

I can see..

[Tuxinatorium]

I can see that the prewar Arms Race has already begun!

Re:I can see..

[PD]

Up until just now, I hadn't thought of the possibility of adding arms and legs, in addition to the ones I already have, but this is exactly what I need to not only keep up with the Jones', but to completely surpass those bastards.

whole body transplant

[falsification]

We're getting close to the point where most of the body can be transplanted. We already have seen face transplants, skin transplants, hair transplants (?), cornea transplants, arm transplants (and thus, presumably leg transplants), internal organ transplants, etc.

The brain is just about all that's left.

Re:whole body transplant

[pauljlucas]

The brain is just about all that's left.

But it's not just another body part since it's where the essense of the individual resides. A "brain transplant" is really a "whole body transplant" since the person is tied to the brain, i.e., the brain (and the person) gets a new body, not the body gets a new brain.

To have a real "brain transplant" would require that one's memories, neural patterns, etc, be transferred to the new brain. However, since the way a person is is tied to the way neurons are physically connected, transfer would be impossible snce the entire new brain would have to be "rewired." It would probably be easier to "grow" a new brain cloning the original structure. Even so, this is many years off.

Re:whole body transplant

[Anonymous Coward]

The brain is just about all that's left.

Before we even come close to tackling the brain, we have to be able to do more minor nerve transplants. If we can't even transplant a simple spinal cord, how the heck are we going to do a brain?

Re:whole body transplant

[Anonymous Coward]

It's even worse. We can't even replace a single nerve cell within the body if it is severed long enough. One promising therapy is injecting the person's own adult stems cells like in the recent heart surgery.

Re:whole body transplant

[Gryftir]

Robert A. Heinlein wrote a book called I Will Fear No Evil about a brain transplant. However this story when finished might be more accurate.

His own hands.?

[RandomInAction]

Me hinks the reference is not about having feeling or control over them. [His hands.] Rather that he feels the appendages are part of him, even if lifeless and numb. So far transplants of this kind have failed; yes the flesh can live, but never connects with the mind. One might as well sew a steak too your ass.

Re:His own hands.?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's not right. First of all, if he lost his lower arms, he will still be able to move his lower arms because the muscles for that are in the upper arms. Also, nerves can grow back. It take a while, but they do eventually make it. They should also grow back into a transplant.

Don't take your organs to heaven....

[Cryacin]

I have this on good word from the world organ donor organisation. Brain donor rejection list: George Bush (American President) Reason for rejection: Brain size too small. Has survived by process sharing with entities such as oil conglomerates, the senate, his father, his wife, and his dog. John Howard (Australian Prime Minister) Reason for rejection: doesn't have his own, uses George Bush's for all policy decisions. Tony Blair (English PM) He's English... no more said. The blood hound gang You mean we want more sick depraved individuals floating around the world? Osama Bin Laden/Saddam Hussein Yeah right, as if there will be anything left when they die!!!

Re:Don't take your organs to heaven....

[DeanAsh]

Are you kidding? Politician brains should fetch a good price as they tend to have very low mileage, so to speak ;)

Re:Don't take your organs to heaven....

[Cryacin]

Yeah, but only because they charge by the pound! Gotta kill a lot you see...

The Stranger

[metamatic]

You can try using your left hand, sure. Unfortunately, that whole "if you use your left hand it feels like someone else is doing it" thing is about as medically accurate as the one about hairy palms.

From which we deduce that anyone seriously suggesting "use your left hand, it feels like someone else is doing it", has never actually had someone else do it.

Re:what if

[dnahelix]

Yes, it makes him gay. What a brilliant observation.

Must....resist....bad....jokes....!

[mechugena]

Hands down, the best article I've read in weeks. It's a sad, disarming tale of what happened to permit this to happen.

Only problem with your method is...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's hard to find a pig.

phantom pains?

[Mantorp]

"Raimund Magreiter, the head of the surgery department at the clinic, said at the moment Jamnig was suffering from phantom pains in the new limbs but that it was normal."

Since the arms are now attached aren't the phantom pains just pains now?

applause

[buzzsport]

Ouch.