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8-Year-Old Makes History As First Pediatric Dual Hand Transplant Recipient

Posted by samzenpus on from the new-hands dept.

ErnieKey writes: While there have been several hand transplants that have successfully taken place over the past decade or so, a little boy in Maryland, named Zion Harvey has become the first successful pediatric dual hand transplant recipient. After losing both hands and feet due to infection when he was 2 years old, doctors were able to successfully transplant new hands onto the little boy, thanks in part to modern-day 3d printing technology. "The success of Penn's first bilateral hand transplant on an adult, performed in 2011, gave us a foundation to adapt the intricate techniques and coordinated plans required to perform this type of complex procedure on a child," Dr. L. Scott Levin, chairman of the department of orthopedic surgery at Penn Medicine and director of the hand transplantation program at Children's Hospital, said in a statement.

59 comments

  1. 3D printing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So he didn't get real, functional hands? He got plastic that looks like hands?

    8 year old gets plastic hands, wonders why he didn't get a Luke Skywalker robot hand.

    1. Re:3D printing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      RTFA. He got real hands. The 3D printed hands were used to rehearse the operation.

    2. Re:3D printing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      RTFA. He got real hands. The 3D printed hands were used to make it easier to find matches within +-20% of the size needed.

    3. Re: 3D printing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, this little boy stuck his bleeding stumps into a 3D printer and got a pair of disposable plastic hands printed, which he then used to perform the transplantation surgery. It's pretty amazing.

  2. High Five! by jfdavis668 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can we get a round of applause?

    1. Re:High Five! by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 0

      I hope he got off on the right foot as well. Did they give him any?

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re:High Five! by jfdavis668 · · Score: 0

      No, just two left feet.

  3. Neat! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    High five! ... whoops...

  4. Jesus Christ... by Sneeka2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Currently having a two year old as well, the thought of him losing both hands and feet right now is making me feel sick in my stomach. What a horrible thing to have happen to you. Huge props for what that kid and his parents must've gone through.

    --
    Bitten Apples are still better than dirty Windows...
    1. Re:Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      First of all, the kid didn't make history, the doctors that did the transplant did. The kid did nothing but get infected and lay there while they fixed him. The real story here is the medical one, not the humanitarian one. Second, I don't know why you're giving huge props for what the kid and his parents went through. It's sounds really shitty to me, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I feel very sorry for them. Even after all this key probably will never have full mobility and the family very well may have unfathomable medical bills. It's a bum wrap.

    2. Re:Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      uz haz a kid, uz so special...

    3. Re:Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, fuck this idiot kid and his parents!

    4. Re:Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Nobody cares that you're childfree, dipshit.

    5. Re:Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Liar! Everyone here is childless living in their mom's basement.

    6. Re:Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody cares that you're childfree, dipshit.

      I do. I'm glad he's not spreading his genes.

    7. Re:Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stay classy...

    8. Re:Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd say your gene line needs to be cut, seeing how it lacks good stuff like ability to understand sarcasm and is rich in bad stuff like being a hateful prick...

      Also, I never stated I am child free, I was merely mocking the "oh look at me, I am a concerned parent" spectacle. Bad news for you, my genes are already spread, 12 kids and counting... polygamy rocks!

    9. Re:Jesus Christ... by wardrich86 · · Score: 1

      I was thinking the same thing. Must have been really hard on the parents - and the confusion the kid must have gone through not understanding what exactly happened, or why. Hopefully this surgery has brought them all some relief and happiness.

    10. Re:Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      " It's sounds really shitty to me"

      That apostrophe and extra letter sound really shitty to me!

    11. Re: Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kids are adaptable. He probably didn't even miss them.

    12. Re: Jesus Christ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't exaggerate. Jesus Christ didn't lose his hands and feet, he just got holes in them.

  5. Well, lets hope he gets to keep and use them by gweihir · · Score: 2

    This stuff is highly experimental, and success is not ensured at all. Still, with no hands, this is decidedly worth the try. Will also be very interesting to see how much sensation and dexterity he will develop.

    --
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  6. Dual-Arm Transplant in 2008 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Germans transplanted two arms at once in 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GATCiaeuK0E
    Last update from 2013 shows the guy is doing well and can open doors and take a shit himself again.

    1. Re:Dual-Arm Transplant in 2008 by SirGeek · · Score: 1

      Germans transplanted two arms at once in 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... Last update from 2013 shows the guy is doing well and can open doors and take a shit himself again.

      Umm.. He could probably shit without hands.

      He can just wipe himself now...

      --
      UPS Sucks
  7. Let's hope .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That the family has good insurance, (I assume USA from the article) otherwise the family will be paying off those hands for LIFE!

    Isn't it terrible that this is the first thing I think of when someone has major surgery - i.e. how are they going to pay for it?

    Heh. Captcha: rewarded

    1. Re:Let's hope .... by ArcadeMan · · Score: 4, Funny

      The operation cost an arm and a leg...

      Sorry, couldn't resist.

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    2. Re:Let's hope .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      USA or elsewhere, somebody has to pay for it. Nothing is free. Whether one believes that it is the person and parent's responsibility to make those arrangements, or that the responsibility should be handed off to the government, well that's a political discussion.

    3. Re:Let's hope .... by WhiplashII · · Score: 1

      You have 3 choices:

      1) No surgery, because society can't afford to give it out to everyone. I note that this procedure did not happen in a socialized medicine country...

      2) Get insurance.

      3) Have the surgery, and then declare bankruptcy. Really, why is this such a horrible position? You didn't prepare by buying insurance. You got sick. The doctors fixed you up anyway. You then lose a portion of your assets to pay the bills INSTEAD OF DYING! Same as if you crashed into someone's house in your car and didn't have insurance!

      "paying off (medical bills) for LIFE!" does not happen in the US. We have laws to protect people from the worst results of bad choices. Pretending that we don't is disingenuous.

      --
      while (sig==sig) sig=!sig;
    4. Re:Let's hope .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OK, point conceded regarding bankruptcy. No one should be shamed for declaring that due to large medical expenses (even if you have insurance).

      However, this shouldn't even be a consideration. I would pay higher taxes in the USA (what percentage, I do not know) in order to be assured that if I need something like surgery or other catastrophic medical intervention, I would not have to declare bankruptcy and risk losing what little assets I have. I'm not sure if that's single payer as I do not pay much attention to the ACA and medical stuff (since I can't change it) but that's what I consider a step in the correct direction.

      And the good captchas continue: "thanks"

    5. Re: Let's hope .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      First thing I thought of is where'd they get the hands from? NOW that we have diplomatic relations with Iran, maybe they got them from a dumpster in back of a sharia courthouse.

    6. Re: Let's hope .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You want to pay higher taxes so the gubmint will cover your medical bills? Buy insurance, moron... same result except its cheaper and doesn't create more civil service bloat.

  8. That's great! by akunkel · · Score: 0

    He should give himself a round of applause.

  9. Look ma, by blueshift_1 · · Score: 1

    No hands! *puff of smoke* two hands!

  10. Who made what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    I think the surgeons made history, the kid did nothing except get transplants. So the kid might "enter history" but certainly not "make history"

    1. Re:Who made what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      My thoughts similarly. It's like when, after a successful surgery, the patient thanks $deity. No, $deity did nothing, it was the skill of the surgeon that fixed you up.

    2. Re:Who made what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      /r/atheism is that way ---->

    3. Re:Who made what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Give them a break! The dangling participle makes it completely unclear who did what:

      After losing both hands and feet due to infection when he was 2 years old, doctors were able

  11. I'd prefer bionics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I would honestly prefer bionics, even if he doesn't reject the foreign tissue, he will have to be on medication all his life.

    1. Re:I'd prefer bionics by 91degrees · · Score: 2

      Not sure I agree but it's a fair point. Surgery seems to be able to do a hell of a lot these days, but the breakthrough we really need is in better drugs to prevent rejection. As well as the minor inconvenience of having to take drugs every day, they also clobber the immune system.

    2. Re:I'd prefer bionics by dollar99 · · Score: 2

      He'd already had a kidney transplant so he already has to be on anti-rejection medicine for the rest of his life. So the fact that he was already on the medication made him a better candidate for the new hands.

  12. Pedantic or Pediatric? by thebryce · · Score: 1

    I have to admit that I was drawn in by the (misread) headline " First Pedantic Dual Hand Transplant Recipient"

    It's early here, I need my coffee.

    1. Re:Pedantic or Pediatric? by ArcadeMan · · Score: 4, Funny

      If you think you need coffee, I misread the headline as "First Pediatric Dual Head Transplant Recipient".

      And then I wondered if the kid's name was Zaphod...

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  13. They have a program already? by damn_registrars · · Score: 1

    director of the hand transplantation program at Children's Hospital

    Have a lot of kids received single hand transplants there previously?

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  14. amazing by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    I watched an interview, this kid is AMAZINGLY mature.

    Seriously, he gave better, more cogent and thoughtful interviews than most NFL or NBA players.

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:amazing by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      Seriously, he gave better, more cogent and thoughtful interviews than most NFL or NBA players.

      Well, uh... that's not really, uh... hard to, like... do better than, uh... what these guys say on, like... the camera.

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    2. Re:amazing by lhowaf · · Score: 1

      he gave better, more cogent and thoughtful interviews than most NFL or NBA players.

      So did Wilson.

    3. Re:amazing by Nemyst · · Score: 1

      I watched an interview, this kid is AMAZINGLY mature.

      Seriously, he gave better, more cogent and thoughtful interviews than most NFL or NBA players.

      That's not a very high bar you just set there.

  15. Krieger by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Jazz hands!

    1. Re:Krieger by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      Virtual +5 Funny

      I wonder if the kid is a fan of the show.

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  16. probably because it couldn't jerk off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now if we could find a way to make all kids that smart without chopping off their hands...

  17. I don't want to be a cynic.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    But the kid is black, did he wait until a pair of black hands came up on the market so he (or someone making a decision for him) wouldn't have honkey hands ?

    1. Re:I don't want to be a cynic.. by laie_techie · · Score: 1

      But the kid is black, did he wait until a pair of black hands came up on the market so he (or someone making a decision for him) wouldn't have honkey hands ?

      -1 for the use of honkey. Before your comment, I never knew the child's race. A child who lost his hands and feet to a terrible infection received new hands (and forearms). Do you honestly think that he or his parents made a big deal about the race of the donor? Would it be easier for him to explain how he lost both hands, or explain why his hands have a different pigmentation than the rest of his body? And if it really mattered, they could do skin drafts at a future date so his new arms and hands would be covered with his own skin. As it is, the donor was from the same race, so the previous questions are moot.

      Let this article be about an advancement in pediatric surgery instead of playing the race card.

    2. Re:I don't want to be a cynic.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, but I saw it on TV. first looked like a kid with bandages on his wrist and made me think a little bit about what may have been available first, I couldn't help but think that someone along that chain of decision making passed on the white hands...

      I give you a -1 for being a terminal wussy.

    3. Re:I don't want to be a cynic.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      " Let this article be about an advancement in pediatric surgery instead of playing the race card. "

      Obviously you don't live anywhere near Baltimore.

    4. Re:I don't want to be a cynic.. by unrtst · · Score: 1

      Do you honestly think that he or his parents made a big deal about the race of the donor?

      From the second link:

      And, of course, the hands had to fit. Based on Zion’s needs, doctors estimated that only about 15 donors per year might meet his age, gender, skin color, and size needs.

      While I don't like the tone of "honkey hands" or much of anything about that poster, apparently they did take that into account when waiting for an appropriate donor. They also evaluated him for 18 months before concluding they would go forward with this, so they apparently took whatever time was needed. I suspect (but have no idea) that there are fewer risks if the gender and race match, much as I would imagine that a matching blood type would be beneficial. On size, they allowed for +/- 20% of what they considered to be ideal.

  18. What is the prognosis? by jfengel · · Score: 1

    Hands are just incredibly complicated. There are a lot of tendons and ligaments in there, and I imagine that fine motor control comes from a lot of different nerves. How much dexterity can he be expected to get out of this?

    I imagine that getting it done young means that he's got years to re-establish connections and train pathways for it. Still... anybody know how good it might get? Will he be able to play the violin?

  19. Goodbye by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, there's really a very low level of basic human decency on slashdot these days.
    Last time I visit.

  20. The boy, or the docs? by Rick+in+China · · Score: 1

    All the love in the world for the boy who has hands due to medical science, that's wonderful for him - and his entire life, there are few things greater than providing a child with opportunities that they had lost before even coming to the age of reason or self-identification.

    That being said, I don't get the title - why is it the boy who 'makes history', and not the wonderful doctors? It seems to me that it is the doctors responsible for this amazing transplant rather than the boy who received it.

    1. Re:The boy, or the docs? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think because it lets lazy journalists not get confuse whether they're expressing admiration for the accomplishment of the surgeons and sympathy for the child in the unfortunate situation. Journalists tend not to do two things at once.

      And yes, the child should get some sympathy, and the surgeons should get praise, both for this particular surgery and for all the future ones that will be possible now that skill has been developed. Nothing should take away from either of those.