Double Arm Transplant to be Undertaken in the US

A 44-year old woman in Texas who lost all of her limbs due to a flesh eating bacteria will be the first person in the United States to undergo a double arm transplant at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Katy Hayes revealed that she suffered from Group A Streptococcal infection in February 2010 when she gave birth to her third child. Apart from all of her four limbs, she also lost her uterus and large intestine.

Now doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital are hoping to transplant two new arms above the elbows and are currently working with a regional organ donor bank to identify a donor. Dr Bohdan Pomahac, who is the director of plastic surgery transplantation at the Brigham, said that while the level of function of the new arms is uncertain, Katy will be able to flex and extend her elbows and also lift herself up from her wheelchair.

Speaking at a news conference in Boston, Katy said that she is looking forward to the surgery as she wants to hold her children in her arms. “I have the determination to make these arms my own. I want my life back. I want to hold my children. I want to hug my husband”, she said.

Source-Medindia