Double Arm Transplant

[Ekiqa]

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hd25 ... QD93MIUN80

Pretty amazing that he's got use of his new arms.

[Kuja]

MUNICH, Germany (AP) — A German farmer who received the world's first complete double arm transplant said Wednesday that incredulity gave way to joy when he woke from surgery to discover he had arms again.

Karl Merk, who lost his arms in a farming accident six years ago, said he at first could not believe that the transplant appeared to have been succesful.

"It was really overwhelming when I saw that I had arms again," said the 54-year-old, who wore a sleeveless black shirt showing clearly where his new arms had been grafted.

"These are my arms, and I'm not giving them away again," he told reporters at the Munich University Clinic where he remains nearly three months after the 15-hour operation.

Merk is recovering well and can perform simple tasks such as opening doors and turning lights on and off. His ultimate goals are to eat and dress himself — and ride a motorcycle.

"All in all, our wildest expectations have pretty much been fulfilled," said Christoph Hoehnke, one of the lead doctors.

A total of 40 surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and other support staff carried out the 15-hour operation on July 25-26 to graft the donor's arms on to the body of Merk, who lost his own just below the shoulder in a combine harvester accident.

Doctors said there were good indications of nerve growth in the arms but it could take up to two years before he relearns how to use his hands.

Merk appeared at the news conference Wednesday with lower arms bandaged and supported with a series of straps attached to shoulder pads.

Merk said he was looking forward to going home after four to six more weeks of an intensive program of physiotherapy, electric stimulation and psychological counseling.

There is also still a risk that Merk's immune system will react, though doctors said so far there was no sign of them being rejected.

Most impressive.

[KlavoHunter]

He probably can't wait to wank it again.

[Koolaidkirby]

that brings up an interesting question about arm ownership... is it him whos wanking? or is he being wanked off by the previous owner of the arms?

[Broomstick]

Pretty amazing that he's got use of his new arms.

I wouldn't call it amazing, as that was the intent all along. There would be no point to grafting on two limp and useless noodles, would there?

that brings up an interesting question about arm ownership... is it him whos wanking? or is he being wanked off by the previous owner of the arms?

Don't be stupid - they're attached to the recipient's body and under his control - they're his arms, even if they aren't his original arms.

[Solauren]

From a medical stand-point; absolutely wonderful. This is what modern medicine is all about!

My only concern would be for criminal responsbility purposes.

I'm assuming the orignal donor(s) is dead. And I'm willing to bet the hands finger prints didn't change.

I can see, if this were to become common enough, there being concerns over fingerprint identification, and possibly DNA evidence. However, how many people, after being given this kind of new lease on life, are going to commit crimes?

[Broomstick]

I'm assuming the orignal donor(s) is dead.

One would hope so, as the alternative is rather horrifying.

And I'm willing to bet the hands finger prints didn't change.

Of course they didn't

I can see, if this were to become common enough, there being concerns over fingerprint identification, and possibly DNA evidence. However, how many people, after being given this kind of new lease on life, are going to commit crimes?

Damn few - if he wasn't a criminal before, why would he be now? That makes no sense whatsoever.

The original owner of those fingerprints is legally deceased. Should those prints be found somewhere suspicious today or tomorrow I am assuming the police would be intelligent enough to figure it out. It's no different than the issue of chimeric DNA in a bone marrow transplant (or naturally occuring, which has already been through the legal system in the US in at least one custody case). It would be highly unusual but not impossible to figure out. You could just as easily say that if the donor was a convicted criminal wouldn't the recipient have legal issues due to the his new fingerprints? First person in that situation might have problems, but I see no reason why it wouldn't be straightened out. There is already a mechanism at the FBI for recording changes in fingerprints due to trauma or deliberate mutilation, I would expect other police agencies have a similar category, and it would probably be easiest to use the same mechanism to record ID marker changes due to hand transplants.