Transplantation medicine has made another step forward! This time a person, who had been doomed for a wheelchair, was given a chance to walk on new legs. The simultaneous transplantation of two legs was conducted by dr Pedro Cavadas from Spain.
The surgery was another quantum leap in the history of transplantational medicine. Hitherto, the most known limb transplantations are: the first transplantation of hand conducted in 1993 by doctors of the University of Louisville and Jewish Hospital, and simultaneous transplantation of two hands in The Edouard-Herriot Hospital in Lyon in 2003. Instead, The first transplantation of arm was conducted in 2008 in Technical University of Munich in Germany. In July 2011 Pedro Cavadas, who conducted simultaneous transplantation of two legs on patient after injury in University Hospital La Fe in Valencia, joined to the history of transplantology.
The surgery was performed on twenty -something patient whose identity was not revealed. The man has not had the possibility of using prosthesis because of high and necessary ablation of limbs, anatomical and technical conditions. An amputation above knees was conducted after an accident which was many years ago. Until now, the patient used a wheelchair. After obtaining consents from Organización Nacional de Transplante and The Department Of Health a search for donor lasted about a year.
The surgery has lasted about 10 hours. Nerves, muscles, blood vessels, sinews and bones have been connected. Further prognosis concerning the state of the patient depends on the extent in which the blood flow of transplanted limbs will occur, the state of nerve regeneration and its connection with the skin and muscles. If everything goes as planned, the patient should move the legs after 3 weeks and after 3 months he should weight his legs down with his body. Optimistic assumption is that the patient will begin to walk with the help of a crutch in 6-7 months. The agility with which the legs will be used is not known. It is estimated that it can be equal to 60% agility of normal limbs and there is a possibility that the patient will acquire full efficiency. The price which the patient will pay for the possibility of walking is i.a. taking immunosuppressants eternally.
Pedro Cavadas, who managed team of 50 people handling the surgery, was born in Valencia and is an alumnus of university hospital there. He specializes in plastic surgery. To his track record belong i.a. transplantation of tongue and jaw and the transplantation of two hands which was conducted in 2006. The patient with hands transplanted by his medical team left hospital claiming that she is very happy and amazingly satisfied.
The patient after the transplantation of two legs feels good and is in stable state. For the time being, the reaction after seeing the new legs indicates his satisfaction. According to doctors, there were tears of happiness which in correlation with clinical state of the patient give hope for better life of people after limb amputation.
Author: Jerzy Bednarski
Source:
1.http://www.pedrocavadas.com/
2.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/12/double-leg-transplant-first_n_896442.html
3.http://www.aalatimes.com/2011/07/12/spanish-surgeon-performs-first-transplant-of-two-legs/
4.http://www.newser.com/story/123244/spain-performs-first-double-leg-transplant.html
5.http://www.batangastoday.com/dr-pedro-cavadas-and-other-spanish-surgeons-execute-the-world%E2%80%99s-first-double-leg-transplant/15320/
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