Duke Health Team Performs First Hand Transplant in North Carolina

Contact: Sarah AveryPhone: 919-660-1306Email: [e-mail]://www.dukehealth.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on Wednesday, June 8, 2016
DURHAM, N.C. -- A Duke Health team has performed the first hand transplant in North Carolina, attaching the limb to a 54-year-old patient from Laredo, Texas, whose hand was severed in a childhood accident.
The highly complex, 12-hour procedure was performed May 27, 2016, by a team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, operating room staff and technicians, and was led by Linda Cendales, M.D., associate professor of surgery at Duke University School of Medicine and director of Duke’s hand transplant program.
The transplant marks the inauguration of a clinical trial at Duke to determine the safety and efficacy of hand transplantation, and the efficacy of a new anti-rejection drug called belatacept.
“This is an exciting time for our patient, his family, and Duke,” Cendales said. “The patient is doing very well and is recovering from his surgery. He is excited about the possibilities that await him as he continues his rehabilitation.”                     
The patient, Rene Chavez, was flown to Duke on May 26 after a deceased donor was identified as a match (the donor remains anonymous). A construction worker and automobile dealer, Chavez became one of fewer than 90 people worldwide who have received a transplanted hand.
“I am so grateful to the family of the donor and I want them to know I will do all I can to honor...

Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - June 8, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Medicine Source Type: news