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The first child to undergo a double-hand transplant has been showing promising recovery.
At age two, Zion Harvey contracted sepsis, a life-threatening infection that resulted in the amputation of his hands. In 2015, he successfully received a double-hand transplant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Two years after the operation, Zion can now write, eat, and dress by himself. On top of these, he can now also grip a baseball bat.
According to Dr. L. Scott Levin, the operation’s lead surgeon, the boy can do these activities because his brain successfully developed a connection to the hands donated to him. To make sure that Zion’s brain will continuously communicate with his new hands, he needs to take lifelong anti-rejection medication.
The Hong Kong Society of Transplantation explained that taking anti-rejection drugs is vital for transplant patients. The organization’s president added that the medication will only benefit patients if taken properly. Failure to follow the drugs’ dosage can lead to serious complications.
In fact, some doctors are concerned that due to the anti-rejection drugs, Zion can be exposed to higher risks of infection, cancer, diabetes, and other side effects.
Due to these risks, there are only a few other cases of limb transplants done in young children. One was in 2011, during which an infant received a leg from her conjoined twin who did not survive. Another reported case was of a one-month-old baby who received an arm from her identical twin who died. The children in both cases were able to survive the operations, and their bodies did not reject their new limbs.