After Armtransplantation: Healing runs “amazingly well”

With a tragic industrial accident farmer lost Karl notices from the Allgäu both arms. In the July of this yearly it the arms of an organ donor were transplanted. Now it stepped for the first time before the press, in order to present its new arms: “I do not give it.”

Munich - with a transplant of two complete arms the clinical center has on the right of the Isar DOES Munich on 26 July new ground entered: Karl notice, a 54-jährigen farmer, who had lost both arms on height of the upper arms with an industrial accident before six years, in a 15-stündigen operation of two complete arms were transplanted. The hospital line communicated that was never before humans a so large quantity of strange fabric one would have transplanted. At the operation approximately a 40-köpfiges team was involved.

A special clinical challenge was that it concerns with the transplants fabric, which consists of different components such as skin and marrow. Therefore was and is particularly large the danger of a repulsion. With a therapy, which combines the standards of the medicamentous treatment after an organ as well as after a Knochenmarkstransplantation, the medical profession try now to work against. After so far however no defence reactions were proven, the dosage of the immunsuppressiven therapy could be already gradually reduced.

Eight hours of training daily

A further goal of the treatment is it to promote the structure of the nerves and to prevent a dismantling of the musculature. But the patient must complete daily an eight-hour program with patient gymnastic and electrical stimulation of the musculature. He is assistance of a special therapy “to learn” that he has again arms. Whether the regeneration of the nerves has success, can be said at the earliest in one and a half to two years, since nerves only about a millimeter grow on the day into the transplant. In addition, the physicians are optimistic here: The patient reports already of a first „Kribbeln “in the upper arm underneath the scars. The healing runs “amazingly well”, reported on Wednesday the treating physicians as well as notices before the press. If it runs further so well, it can in four to six weeks will home dismiss.

“I give it no longer ago”

There do not notice its both arms yet alone to carry can, is dependent it on a particularly designed stretcher rack. Thus it can move however already relatively freely, reported themselves the 54jährige. It can open doors already independently and serve also the light switch or a remote maintenance for the television set. With Umblättern of the newspaper and when eating he is however still dependent on assistance. He cannot introduce himself any longer, without being its new arms, said the man: “I give it no longer ago”. Karl notice after a television broadcast with the desire for a transplant to the clinical center had come closer, after it had not gotten along in the years after its accident with different artificial prostheses.

Mouth solutions harm the stomach

Bacteria in the saliva are necessary for the blood circulation in the gastric mucosa. Also these “good” bacteria are killed by mouth water. Particularly in combination with medicines it can come to complications. Experts guess/advise to the caution.

Munich - disinfecting Wässerchen for mouth and throat area provides for a fresh breath. Such gargling solutions could harm the stomach however, say Martin bush, specialist for internal medicine in Munich. Because the bacteria in the saliva, which are killed by the means, play an important role for the blood circulation of the gastric mucosa.

Nitrates are converted into nitrides

Scientific investigations showed according to bush recently that the bacteria convert nitrates in the mouth into nitrides. From these nitrides in the stomach nitrogen oxide is formed. This chemical messenger adjusts the flow of blood, which promotes the renewal of the gastric mucosa and which gastric wall protects against the aggressive gastric acid.

If the mouth bacteria are killed by the disinfecting solutions, the nitride formation becomes and the regeneration of the gastric mucosa obviously impairs. That could become according to data of bush in particular with such patients a problem, with whom the gastric mucosa is frequently already attacked: Humans with heart cycle problems about, those regularly medicines also
Acetylsalicylic acid (ASS) take. ASS increases the risk of bleedings in the gastric wall

Knochenimplantante from bio plastic

Everything becomes bio - now also the bone replacement. Bioactive calcium mineral and Polyhydroxybuttersäure are to replace in the future metal implants and reduce repulsion reactions and incompatibilities. In few years the bio bones could be used.

Leipzig - implants made of metal are not always stood as bone replacement by the body. An alternative “art bones” could be from a bacterially produced bio plastic, which are investigated at the translation center for renewable medicine (TRM) in Leipzig. The new material copies the natural bone in material composition, micro mechanics and surface relief very exactly, reports the TRM.

Bio bone: Climbing scaffold for new cells

A goal of the research is it to create a replacement for bones those due to a trauma, a tumor or degenerative diseases was missing, reports the material scientist Sven Henning. In addition on the one hand an bioactive calcium mineral is used, which can be settled well by cells, but is not break-proof. It is combined with and thus very sturdy the bio plastic Polyhydroxybuttersäure modified by a special procedure. It is bacterially produced.

“Our new material permitted not only the basic and properly matching replacement for missing bones, but is at the same time a climbing scaffold for new cells, which find, describe therein optimal growth conditions” to Henning the advantages of the “bio bone”. Compared with metal implants sink the risk of repulsion reactions and incompatibilities substantially. At the same time stimulate the material the new formation of bone cells.

Präklini study phase begins

As next step a präklinische study phase is planned. If the attempts should be successful, the first patients at thighs could according to data of Henning in five to eight years or lower arms of bio implants assigned get.

TRM Leipzig was created in October 2006 with the goal of developing new diagnostics and therapy forms of the renewable medicine of evaluating and of transferring into clinical application. It is one from Germany far four large research centers in the range of the renewable medicine.

Lung damage with, earlyborn can be avoided

The lung from earlyborn is usually unreif and threatens when breathing out to collapse. Because you are missing a protective film for the alveoli, also to Surfactant mentioned. But the presently usual gift of Surfactant under machine artificial respiration can damage the lung. Therefore the Neonatologen at the university clinic Bonn does without an artificial respiration and a new method developed to give Surfactant.


Bonn - came Nile three months too early into the world - with a birth weight of somewhat over 500 gram a maximum risk child. Because its unreife lung produced still no Surfactant. This mixture from proteins and fats lowers the surface tension of the alveoli. Without Surfactant the alveoli - like a tent without bars - collapse when breathing out in itself. The children develop a lethal difficulty in breathing syndrome. Therefore they were intubiert so far directly after the birth with a hose by the nose through into the bronchial tube and several days were artificially respirated by machine.

The end of the 80's imported additional gift of Surfactant over the artificially respirating hose into the lung, won from animal lungs, improved the chances of survival of small earlyborn enormously. “The machine artificial respiration endangers the lung nevertheless, since it can overstretch the sensitive fabric. Possible consequence is a Bronchopulmonale Dysplasie”, says Markus Treichel, upper physician in the department of Neonatologie at the university clinic Bonn. The babies concerned suffer from difficulty in breathing, increased heart frequency and high calorie consumption by the increased breath work - heavy breath way infections, right heart load as well as growth and development disturbances threaten.

Small earlyborn can breathe

Therefore the Bonn Neonatologen of Nile offered parents to give Surfactant shortly after the birth under spontaneous respiration thus without connection of a respirator. “All necessary one should be done for our child”, says Ulrike L. on 11 November 2007 was it so far, and Nile came loud crying into the world. “He wanted to breathe and needed only our support. In former times was underestimated, what the earlyborn can do, say already everything - a paradigm shift in the medicine” its firstsupplying child physician Axel Heep, leading upper physician to the Bonn university Neonatologie. In the first minutes after the birth the Bonn Neonatologen led carefully a probe - as thin as a Kugelschreibermine - across the nose into the upper respiratory system. There they gave Surfactant to about 30 drops to the lung, which distributed itself there.

The procedure took only some minutes, however much experience requires. “The probe is smaller than the larynx, and the children can breathe further. With an intubation against it the hose moves the respiratory system”, explains Treichel. Usually a gift is enough, because rapidly after the birth the babies begin to produce even Surfactant. Subsequently, over a mask breathing air under easy positive pressure is transported into the respiratory system. This easy positive pressure keeps the lungs open. “The children breathe independently and adjust their respiration. We do not have to artificially respirate it by machine normally any longer, except them are exhausted or gotten sick at a pneumonia”, said Treichel.

Portion of the by machine artificially respirated children reduces

The team around Peter Bartmann, director of the Neonatologie at the university clinic Bonn, knew the portion of the by machine artificially respirated children, before the 33. Pregnancy week into the world came, from 65 per cent to 52 per cent lower. Besides the artificially respirating days of on the average eleven to five reduced days. “We could a gentler care of the Frühchen achieve and thus in addition the occurrence of a Bronchopulmonalen Dysplasie from 20 per cent to 9 per cent lower”, are pleased Treichel.

Also Nile no machine artificial respiration needed and is now also over five kilograms a normal healthy child. Since at the beginning of February is it with its parents at home and develops marvelously.

* earlyborn can be avoided
* Lung damage
* Treatments & Therapies

Beautiful , art alleviates pain

Beautifully or not beautifully - about taste can be argued. About what however any longer it cannot be argued is the fact that aesthetics plays a not insignificant role with the Schmerzlinderung. Famous Italian works of art had to prove their aesthetics for the attempt. The result is amazingly, confirmed however older assumptions.

London - a beautiful picture works schmerzlindernd. Pain is felt less intensively thereby around a third, as if a neutral or ugly picture is regarded. At the same time also the reaction of the brain to the pain stimulus is weaker, as researchers found out around Marina de Tommaso of the University of Bari. On the results of the study the science magazine reports “new Scientist”.

The Italian researcher team followed for the first time to the question, which role beauty plays during the pain sensation. In addition the neuro scientists used Italian paintings, for example from Botticelli or Leonardo da Vinci. The twelve participants of the investigation selected 20, which found them at the hässlichsten under 300 paintings 20, which pleased them best, and. Subsequently, they regarded either the beautiful or the ugly pictures or a neutral black surface, while a laser pulse released a pain stimulus on their hand.

Pain sensation around a third smaller

If the test persons let the pleasant pictures affect itself, its pain sensation was smaller around a third than with the neutral or ugly pictures. Fastened electrodes indicated at the same time at the head that also the brain reacted with beautiful pictures less strongly to the pain: The P200, a positive summit of the electrical brain activity, which attention and the processing of attractions reflect, failed with regarding the beautiful paintings smaller.

It is well-known that diverson in the hospital can contribute to alleviate the pain of the patients says de Tommaso. But hospitals are often sober and arranged functional. “We think however that aesthetic aspects should be considered during the mechanism more”, say the Italian Hirnforscherin.