This comes on the heals of the guy that got a larynx transplant. There will definitely be an EXPANDING need for immune system modulators.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - After three years of work and two years of animal experiments, researchers have been given permission to attempt the world's first successful hand transplant.
While surgeons have been able to reattach severed limbs following accidents for years, they have never been able to successfully transfer a limb from a donor to a living recipient.
But a research team in Louisville is hoping they can accomplish the feat within the next three to six months.
''Potentially, this procedure could be a breakthrough on par with the first kidney and heart transplants,'' said Gordon Tobin, a University of Louisville professor of surgery. ''It all depends on how successful it proves to be once it is done and perfected.''
The University of Louisville School of Medicine Human Studies Committee and Jewish Hospital Institutional Review Board granted approval after researching the idea for more than three years and analyzing the findings of an international symposium on the idea held last November.
An ideal candidate for the surgery would be someone between 18 and 65 who has had part of an arm amputated below the elbow. A donor hand would be sought through existing organizations that coordinate transplants of organs such as hearts, lungs and kidneys.
Researchers said the eight- to 12-hour procedure should not be as tricky as a typical limb reattachment, or replantation, which often involves crushed or mangled bones, tendons and ligaments.
But at least one surgeon expressed concern over the plan.
''It's very, very risky and I think they're pressing the envelope with this,'' said Matthew Tomaino, chief of microsurgery for the University of Pittsburgh's orthopedic surgery department.
Tomaino cited the risk of death from drugs given to prevent the body from rejecting the limb. The drugs suppress the immune system.
''The risks from taking these drugs, which the recipients will have to take for the rest of their lives, have not warranted the transplant of a non-vital organ,'' he said Thursday.
Tomaino also said the chances of the recipient ever experiencing much, if any, real feeling in the transplanted hand are minimal.
Members of the team, however, believe that a recipient potentially could experience some motion six to eight weeks after surgery, a wider range of motion after six months and some sensation after a year.
South American doctors attempted a similar procedure in 1964 but the donor hand was rejected in only 14 days. Medical and technological advancements have made the procedure more feasible and the risk of rejection more manageable, the doctors said.
Tobin said the transplant could lead to other breakthroughs.
''The potential applications, as one gets into other body parts, are limitless,'' Tobin said. ''If it can be done with a hand, it can be done with any part of the human anatomy.''<<<<<<<<<<<<<In other words once again EXPANDING use for Biotransplant's products if approved. Anybody aware of any animal studies also on Biotransplant's products and protective effect for transplanted Beta cells or the whole pancreas?
AP-NY-07-24-98 0131EDT
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