The first child in the world to undergo a double hand transplant is now able to write, feed and dress himself, doctors have said, declaring the ground-breaking operation a success after 18 months.
10-year old Zion Harvey, who underwent surgery to replace both hands in July 2015 is now even able to play baseball.
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.
Harvey had his hands and feet amputated at the age of two, following a sepsis infection. He also had a kidney transplant.
Harvey was already receiving drugs to suppress any immune reaction to his kidney, which was a key factor in his selection for the 10-plus hour hand transplant surgery.
Immunosuppressive drugs must be taken continuously to prevent a patient’s body from rejecting the transplant.
These drugs carry risks, including diabetes, cancer and infections.
The child has “undergone eight rejections of the hands, including serious episodes during the fourth and seventh months of his transplant.
All of these were reversed with immunosuppression drugs without impacting the function of the child’s hands.”
Harvey continues to take four immunosuppression drugs and a steroid.
Before the double hand transplant, Harvey had limited ability to dress, feed and wash himself through adapted processes, using his residual limbs or specialist equipment.
The donor hands became available in July 2015 from a deceased child.
Within days of the surgery, Harvey discovered he could move his fingers, using the ligaments from his residual limbs.
Eight months after the operation, Harvey was using scissors and drawing with crayons.
Within a year, he could swing a baseball bat using both hands. He also threw out the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game last August.
Regular meetings with a psychologist and a social worker were part of the recovery process, aimed at helping him cope with his new hands.
Scans have shown his brain is adapting to the new hands, developing new pathways to control movement and feel sensations.
The world’s first double hand transplant in a child has been successful under carefully considered circumstances.
The first successful hand transplant in an adult was carried out in 1998.
