why can’t limbs be transplanted to the needy just like heart, eyes etc ?
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It has been done many times – hand transplants are a thing at some major academic centers – but they’ve also been associated with a very high rate of reversal for various reasons.
Not only are there the biological reasons for rejection, but the psychology behind having a new set of hands has led a significant number of patients to ask for their hands to be removed.
It has been done many times – hand transplants are a thing at some major academic centers – but they’ve also been associated with a very high rate of reversal for various reasons.
Not only are there the biological reasons for rejection, but the psychology behind having a new set of hands has led a significant number of patients to ask for their hands to be removed.
It can be done, but the surgery is very difficult. Reconnecting nerves is difficult, and even when reconnected, they may take months or years to work properly, if they ever do. Connecting tendons and muscles is also difficult and there is a risk that they don’t heal properly.
The biggest problem is that powerful medications which smash the immune system are required to prevent the transplant dying. The immune system sees the transplant as foreign and attacks it – a process called rejection.
The medications have severe side effects and massively increase the risk of cancer and other fatal diseases. This is a good trade for a vital organ transplant – if you don’t get the transplant you die quickly – with the transplant, you’ll likely live much longer, even though the medication may kill you in the long run.
It’s not quite such a good trade if it’s just a hand, especially if the hand only partially works.
It can be done, but the surgery is very difficult. Reconnecting nerves is difficult, and even when reconnected, they may take months or years to work properly, if they ever do. Connecting tendons and muscles is also difficult and there is a risk that they don’t heal properly.
The biggest problem is that powerful medications which smash the immune system are required to prevent the transplant dying. The immune system sees the transplant as foreign and attacks it – a process called rejection.
The medications have severe side effects and massively increase the risk of cancer and other fatal diseases. This is a good trade for a vital organ transplant – if you don’t get the transplant you die quickly – with the transplant, you’ll likely live much longer, even though the medication may kill you in the long run.
It’s not quite such a good trade if it’s just a hand, especially if the hand only partially works.
A few people have received hand transplants, so the ability to do that is still in its infancy. One of the same problems that is shared by every transplant patient is the risk of transplant rejection.
A few people have received hand transplants, so the ability to do that is still in its infancy. One of the same problems that is shared by every transplant patient is the risk of transplant rejection.
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