While browsing youtube videos I came across a transplant surgery- A double hand surgery.
I was surprised that surgeons are able to do this and that it works so effectively. I therefore decided to look into the procedure.
Like in any transplant it important that the donor shares the same blood type as the recipient, as otherwise the recipients body will detect the new hand as alien and definitely reject it. Nevertheless, even when they both do have the same blood group, the patient will always be given immunosuppressive drugs. These weaken the immune systems response when it detects the foreign limb, preventing it from rejecting it. However these drugs which have to be taken continuously after the surgery have many side effect which the patient will have to cope with he rest of their lives. These side effects include fatigue, fever to chills and frequent urination. Any person taking immunosuppressants will inevitably as well be more prone to infection.
The transplant and amputation is usually positioned below the elbow and the blood flow in the arms is restricted. The hand is connected to the arm i the order bone (ulna and radius), tendons, nerves, arteries, veins and skin.
In this video the patient shows incredible results.
I was surprised that surgeons are able to do this and that it works so effectively. I therefore decided to look into the procedure.
Like in any transplant it important that the donor shares the same blood type as the recipient, as otherwise the recipients body will detect the new hand as alien and definitely reject it. Nevertheless, even when they both do have the same blood group, the patient will always be given immunosuppressive drugs. These weaken the immune systems response when it detects the foreign limb, preventing it from rejecting it. However these drugs which have to be taken continuously after the surgery have many side effect which the patient will have to cope with he rest of their lives. These side effects include fatigue, fever to chills and frequent urination. Any person taking immunosuppressants will inevitably as well be more prone to infection.
The transplant and amputation is usually positioned below the elbow and the blood flow in the arms is restricted. The hand is connected to the arm i the order bone (ulna and radius), tendons, nerves, arteries, veins and skin.
In this video the patient shows incredible results.
The first double hand transplant was carried out in the UK this year shortly after the NHS having launched their new hand transplant earlier in the year. The patient has had successful results after the extensive and complicated 12h surgery it does not necessarily guarantee a successful ending for the patients. Although after surgery patients gain functioning mobile hands and sometimes even some sensation, the psychological impact is often too much for the patients to cope with. The first patient to receive a hand transplant got the removed in a secret operation 3 years after receiving them.
This reaction is without any doubt understandable, especially since our hands are constantly visible to us and remind the patient constantly that they are not their (a situation which one wouldn't experience when receiving an organ transplant). When thinking about the use of our hands these phycological reactions make even more sense. “For someone to use someone else’s hands to hold his wife, his kids - it is not easy,”1.
After reading this article and watching the video, not only did i learn about a surgery which I find remarkable but it also made me think and come to a conclusion. When we preform a surgery or a procedure we can't only have the person's medical interests in mind but also patient's personal and phycological necessities and attachments. Only when we attempt to take into account all possible factors and start treating the human being in front of us instead of a mere patient and instead as a person, will we be able to reach their maximum potential well being.
This reaction is without any doubt understandable, especially since our hands are constantly visible to us and remind the patient constantly that they are not their (a situation which one wouldn't experience when receiving an organ transplant). When thinking about the use of our hands these phycological reactions make even more sense. “For someone to use someone else’s hands to hold his wife, his kids - it is not easy,”1.
After reading this article and watching the video, not only did i learn about a surgery which I find remarkable but it also made me think and come to a conclusion. When we preform a surgery or a procedure we can't only have the person's medical interests in mind but also patient's personal and phycological necessities and attachments. Only when we attempt to take into account all possible factors and start treating the human being in front of us instead of a mere patient and instead as a person, will we be able to reach their maximum potential well being.
References:
1. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jul/22/double-hand-transplant-it-is-a-small-miracle-looking-at-what-nature-has-allowed-us-to-do.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_transplantation.
3. http://www.healthline.com/health/immunosuppressant-drugs#SideEffects6
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUdfi5MALwg
1. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jul/22/double-hand-transplant-it-is-a-small-miracle-looking-at-what-nature-has-allowed-us-to-do.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_transplantation.
3. http://www.healthline.com/health/immunosuppressant-drugs#SideEffects6
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUdfi5MALwg