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World's First Double Hand Transplant Involving a Child Declared a Success (ctvnews.ca)

Posted by BeauHD on from the history-making dept.

randomErr shares a report from CTV News: The first child in the world to undergo a double hand transplant is now able to write, feed and dress himself, doctors said Tuesday, declaring the ground-breaking operation a success after 18 months. The report in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health provides the first official medical update on 10-year old Zion Harvey, who underwent surgery to replace both hands in July 2015. Harvey had his hands and feet amputated at the age of two, following a sepsis infection. He also had a kidney transplant. Harvey was already receiving drugs to suppress any immune reaction to his kidney, which was a key factor in his selection for the 10-plus hour hand transplant surgery.

11 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Fucking awesome by mwvdlee · · Score: 3, Insightful

    's all I can say.

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    1. Re:Fucking awesome by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 2

      Part of me thinks this is incredible, but how useful is it when you must subject the patient to such high levels of immunosuppressants? For live saving/extending transplants there is little choice, but for something like hands I wonder if a prosthetic path isn't a better one. This is a special case since the kid needs the drugs already of course. That kid is a trooper.

    2. Re:Fucking awesome by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 3, Funny

      's all I can say.

      You have to hand it to the doctors. I can't place my finger on the right words to say but it sounds like they've got their thumb down on this procedure.

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    3. Re:Fucking awesome by MBGMorden · · Score: 2

      They said right in the summary - he was ALREADY on the drugs due to the kidney transplant he received earlier. If he has to take them anyways he might as well have the hand transplant surgery as well.

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  2. Unfortunately... by magusxxx · · Score: 2

    ...each hand was from a different political party. His parents noticed their son had a red crayon in one hand and a blue crayon in the other as he was gerrymandering Sesame Street.

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    1. Re:Unfortunately... by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Then we might have a chance to finally see the two parties cooperate when they notice that they'll starve if they don't.

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  3. Bad Joke by danbert8 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I hope this kid recovers and gives the operation two thumbs up!

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  4. Sepsis not managed in first place by Martin+S. · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The unasked question here is why was the Sepsis not managed in first place. It is well understood condition and early intervention is the key to successful outcomes, was he denied early healthcare cover, people should be told.

    https://www.nice.org.uk/guidan...

    1. Re:Sepsis not managed in first place by demonlapin · · Score: 2

      Even perfect management doesn't guarantee successful return to complete health. Supportive treatment with vasopressors means keeping the critical organs perfused with enough oxygen delivery to survive. When you have to squeeze every artery tightly with drugs in order to keep the brain, heart, kidneys, etc., perfused, guess what parts of the body run out of blood flow first? The ones with the smallest arteries, farthest from the core - i.e., the extremities. Almost certainly what happened here.

      I don't treat sepsis these days, but I did as a resident. Even very aggressive treatment isn't always enough. You do what you can and hope for the best. I watched a perfectly healthy 20-something nurse go from a mild cough to death in three days because the wrong bacterium got hold of him.

  5. Slashdot Editors... by almitydave · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now, I'm not normally one to bitch and moan about the editorial staff, but how the heck is this article not from the "give-em-a-hand dept."?!?

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  6. Rad(ical)! by antdude · · Score: 2

    I was born without a thumb and with a tiny annoying useless thumb (couldn't move it due to lack of bones and muscles -- it was removed in 1984) as parts of my disabilities. Almost a decade later, I got a surgery to rotate my right hand's left non-thumb finger 90 degrees into a thumb. It was a success. I can use it for writing better, holding light cups, etc. However, it is not very strong. I still use my left untouched hand for heavier and stronger stuff. I didn't want to make a thumb for that hand for that reason. :)

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