First child to undergo double hand transplant fulfils his dream of swinging a baseball bat
Zion Harvey was eight years old when the procedure took place.
A boy who underwent a double hand transplant was able to fulfil his dream of swinging a baseball bat just a year after surgery.
Zion Harvey was able to write and also feed and dress himself independently 18 months after the procedure, which took nearly 11 hours.
The American youngster, who was aged eight when the procedure took place, is able to complete the tasks following months of occupational therapy and psychological support, according to a medical report published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal.
Dr Sandra Amaral, of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said: “Our study shows that hand transplant surgery is possible when carefully managed and supported by a team of surgeons, transplant specialists, occupational therapists, rehabilitation teams, social workers and psychologists.
“Eighteen months after the surgery, the child is more independent and able to complete day-to-day activities.
“He continues to improve as he undergoes daily therapy to increase his hand function and psychosocial support to help deal with the ongoing demands of his surgery.”
In July last year, Chris King became the first person in the UK to have a double hand transplant in a pioneering operation at Leeds General Infirmary.
The new study documents the progress of the first double hand transplant surgery in a child.
Zion was already receiving immunosuppression medication for a kidney transplant which was needed after he contracted the life-threatening infection sepsis when he was two.
Before he underwent the double hand transplant, Zion had limited ability to dress, feed and wash himself using his residual limbs or specialist equipment.
When asked what he hoped to do following surgery, he told doctors he wanted to be able to climb monkey bars and grip a baseball bat.
The surgery took place in July 2015 at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in collaboration with Penn Medicine when a suitable donor became available.
The procedure, which lasted 10 hours and 40 minutes, involved four medical teams working on the donor and recipient limbs.
Within days of the surgery, Zion was able to move his fingers using the ligaments from his residual limbs.
Six days after the transplant he began daily occupational therapy, including video games and exercises using finger lights and puppets, as well as daily tasks such as writing and using a knife and fork.
Within a year of the surgery, Zion could swing a baseball bat using both hands.
Meanwhile, scans revealed the boy’s brain had developed pathways for control of hand movement and for carrying touch sensation signals from the hand back to the brain.
However, Dr Amaral added: “While functional outcomes are positive and the boy is benefiting from his transplant, this surgery has been very demanding for this child and his family.”
