Definitions
Hand Transplantation
Let’s start with the definitions of hand transplantation. When describing the transplantation process, it requires the reconstruction of an amputated upper extremity with a donor extremity from someone who has passed away from circumstances that would allow their limb to be used. At the same time, the donor’s other organs are harvested. This is someone who is an organ donor and the family has given special permission to use the hand. Hands and faces require special permission because they can identify a person by the way they look.
Hand Replantation
A similar term is hand replantation. If someone is injured and acquires an amputation or partial amputation, the limb can be salvaged by saving and preserving it so it can be reattached. In a similar process to transplantation, the limb would be debrided and they would save as much as possible and reattached. An example would be a person's hand that is reattached to their injured arm.
Composite Tissue Allotransplantation
Composite tissue allotransplantation is another term for hand transplant or face transplant. It refers to the use of donated tissue that has multiple kinds of structures in it such as bone, muscle, skin and nerve. If you are researching this area, you might consider using the term “composite tissue allotransplantation.”
Why Hand Transplants?
While upper extremity prosthetics work fairly well for people, some of the newer prosthetics do not. For example, there is an an upper extremity prosthetic that provides sensation, but it is not that common and has not been perfected yet.
Cosmesis and feeling like a whole person are other reasons for having a hand transplant. I have interviewed many patients wanting to get into a transplant program who state that they do not feel “whole” with a limb amputation. They do not feel like themselves. Again, those are some reasons why people may opt to do the hand transplantation.
