World's First Quadruple Limb Transplant Fails 124
New submitter smoothjazz writes "The world's first quadruple limb transplant failed, according to Hacettepe University. Doctors had to remove the arms and legs that had been transplanted last Friday onto Sevket Çavdar, 27, because of tissue incompatibility. From the article: 'Doctors had first removed one leg from the patient after his heart and vascular system failed to sustain the limb and then the other leg and two arms. "The science council (of the hospital) decided to remove the organs one by one due to additional metabolic complications in the following process," the hospital said in a statement.
"Our patient is now in the intensive care unit. The critical process is still continuing," it added.'"
They removed WHAT? (Score:4, Insightful)
I think I would have started with arms. (Score:4, Insightful)
Even as a non-doctor I realize that adding that much body mass to Bob or Art or whatever his name was would stress his system that wasn't used to it.
After doing some arm cardio for a while with a stable patient probably a year or more later, then maybe legs. It would probably take at least that long to find the next donor anyway.
Re:Would the limbs have ever worked? (Score:4, Insightful)
They can repair the gross nerves now... Of course in limbs they are fairly spread out.... At least enough to gain some mobility.
You're not going to play piano, bit at least you can feed youself and wipe your own ass again!
I'm curious how they thought the heart was going to support the limbs... That's like 80% increase in body mass when the body had adjusted to not havin any limbs. Would you even have enough blood in your body to pump??? Had they done one it probably woul have worked... The problem is how to keep te others alive until they can be attached... Otherwise 4different doners would be even worse.
The future is in the big black robot suit....
Re:Would the limbs have ever worked? (Score:4, Insightful)
They were advertising for volunteers to donate enough blood for that guy. What are the psychological effects of having more "body" that is not you, than is you? There was even an organ transplant of the more private parts, but the man's wife has psychological objections after the transplant.