World's First Double Arm Transplant

Posted by Alex in Medicine, World Records on August 6, 2008 at 2:37 pm


German doctors have successfully completed the world’s first double arm transplant surgery:

Reiner Gradinger, medical director at the Munich University Clinic where the operation involving 40 doctors, nurses and assistants took place over 15 hours last week, said: "The reattachment appears up to now to have proceeded optimally."

Surgeon Edgar Biemer said the greatest challenge was establishing blood flow between the farmer’s body and muscles in the new arms because the muscles have a limited lifespan.

And he said: "We discussed with the patient that he would have to deal with the fact that his hands were from somebody else.

"But this was discussed before the first heart transplant, and in reality nobody really cared about that."

Link – Thanks amanda!


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6 comments to "World's First Double Arm Transplant"

  1. Jimbo
    August 6th, 2008 at 2:52 pm

    So now he can find is butt with both hands! :)

  2. Neatoramawontsendmeapassword
    August 6th, 2008 at 6:19 pm

    'And he said: "We discussed with the patient that he would have to deal with the fact that his hands were from somebody else.

    "But this was discussed before the first heart transplant, and in reality nobody really cared about that."'

    Yeah, but your heart isn't on display for everyone to see. Having to look at two foreign arms all day, every day... I can see how that could screw with your mind.

  3. ty
    August 6th, 2008 at 6:30 pm

    It'll be weird when it comes to doing personal business like brushing your teeth, wiping your butt, and some other fun stuff...

  4. Angstrom
    August 6th, 2008 at 7:08 pm

    a fuller video article here.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7538453.stm

    hopefully that's visible to those outside the septic isle.

    Slightly disturbing is the idea that the nerves will take at least 2 years to grow enough so that he can move his new arms, but there is a high probability that the nerves will not grow and his new arms will remain paralysed.

    Hmm,
    dragging some dangling useless meat flaps around, for the patient : not so good, for the doctors : lecture circuit ker-ching

  5. JC
    August 7th, 2008 at 12:12 am

    I think two years is nothing for a man that surely thought he would never grab something again.

  6. ted
    August 7th, 2008 at 5:25 am

    Somebody else's arm hair - ick.

    I wonder if they gave him a matched set.


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