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Sunday, 16 February, 2025
HomeTransplant MedicineWorld-first plasma exchange for double hand transplant patient

World-first plasma exchange for double hand transplant patient

A British woman who had a double hand transplant five years ago has undergone pioneering treatment – in a world first – to prevent her body from rejecting them.

Tanya Shepherd became the UK’s first female recipient of two replacement hands in 2018, only for her immune system to identify the tissue as foreign.

Now, reports the BBC, she has received a blood treatment called plasma exchange, in which antibodies are removed to reduce the risk of rejection, and her symptoms, which included swelling, reduced dexterity and changes in skin pigmentation, have now begun to improve.

Shepherd underwent the double hand and arm transplant at Leeds General Infirmary in September 2018 after losing both hands and three-quarters of her left arm to sepsis.

However, she began suffering symptoms of antibody mediated rejection (AMR) – a type of rejection where the immune system identifies the tissue as foreign and produces antibodies to fight it.

She is being treated in Leeds by Therapeutic Apheresis Services, an NHS team which removes harmful, disease-forming proteins, chemicals or cells from patients' blood.

So far she has had 10 sessions of therapeutic plasma exchange, in which plasma is removed from the blood to quickly decrease or remove the antibodies, and is due to begin immunosuppressive treatment in the hope of preventing antibody levels from rising again.

Dr James Griffin, a medical director at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Our aim is to protect the transplant while other therapies work to stop her immune system from making the antibodies.”

 

BBC article – 'World first' for double hand transplant patient (Open access)

 

See more from MedicalBrief archives:

 

First double hand transplant child can now write, feed and dress independently

 

French hospital carries out first double arm and shoulder transplant

 

Only one of four sepsis screening tools ‘reasonably accurate’ – German study

 

WHO report on global epidemiology and the burden of sepsis — 1 in 5 deaths

 

 

 

 

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