First U.S Uterus Transplant Fails

Medic-ALL (03:09:2016)

The first attempt at a womb transplant in the United States has failed after a sudden complication forced its removal about 2 weeks after the initial surgical operation.

The recipient, the 26 year old Lindsey, is however recovering well according to reports.

The technique is a new frontier that would hopefully one day offer woman born without a uterus or who lost their uterus to disease a chance of getting pregnant.

The failed transplant was the first of 10 planned by the Cleveland Clinic in a clinic trial, and the hospital said the study is continuing.

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First Womb Transplant in the U.S

Medic-ALL (02-26-2016) MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS

About 5 months after the first baby was born from a transplanted womb in Sweden, a team of doctors at the Cleveland Clinic performed the first successful uterus transplant in the United States. 

On Wednesday, February 24, a 26 year old woman received the new womb courtesy of a deceased organ donor in a 9 hour operation. The womb will be removed once she has one or two babies. This will enable her to stop the medications she has to be on to prevent her body from rejecting the foreign organ-this is a huge risk that has led to failed procedures in the past. Her previously impossible pregnancy will now rely on in vitro fertilization (IVF), using her eggs (harvested prior to the transplant) that have been fertilized with her husband's sperm and then frozen.

As at Thursday, the patient was in stable conditions and will have to wait for about a year for the healing process to be complete before she has the IVF procedure. Also, a cesarean section will probably be the right option for delivery when the time comes to prevent any injury either to the mother or child.

Ref: CNN, Cleveland Clinic

Related Posts; Medical Miracle: First Womb Transplant Baby Born

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Pioneering Surgery gives man world's first 'bionic' penis

Medic-ALL (08;26;2015) IN THE NEWS! From engadget

When Edinburgh, Scotland resident Mohammed Abad was six years old, he was involved in a horrific car accident. He was struck by a vehicle and then dragged nearly 600 feet (180 meters), tearing his tallywhacker (and left testicle) clean off. But thanks to advances in modern medicine, and a dedicated team at the University of London, Abad will soon have a bionic penis that puts Steve Austin's junk to shame.

The University of London team has spent more than three years crafting a new, 8-inch wang out of skin grafts culled from Abad's forearm and becomes erect by mechanically pumping fluid into it. This pump is activated by a button located near his remaining testicle. "When you want a bit of action you press the 'on' button," Abad told The Sun. "When you are finished you press another button. It takes seconds. Doctors have told me to keep practising." He'd already undergone two surgeries before the recent 11-hour marathon installation surgery. Doctors on the team report that the prosthesis should be sufficient for Abad to start a family, if he so chooses.

This marks the first time that such a device has been successfully implanted. However, in March, a 21-year-old South African man received the world's first natural penial transplant.

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HISTORIC! Infant Gets Heart Transplant

Medic-ALL (02:13:2015)  MEDICAL:

A 6-day-old premature baby born in Arizona, United States of America has become the youngest infant to receive a heart transplant. The baby Olivier Crawford had the operation at Phoenix Children's Hospital, Arizona after he was born 7 weeks prior to scheduled date with a life-threatening heart condition and amidst fears by the doctors hat he may not survive birth. 

Historic! 6-day-Old gets Heart Transplant in U.S hospital

Doctors had first noticed something was amiss during Caylyn Otto’s 20 week prenatal exam. She was subsequently put in the care of pediatric cardiologist Dr. Christopher Lindblade at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, who was shocked at the size of the fetus’ heart.

The left ventricle was huge for a 24-week-old,” Lindblade told The Arizona Republic. “It was massive.”

The formal diagnosis was dilated cardiomyopathy ( a condition associated with dilated heart chambers and impaired contractility).Doctors told Otto and the baby's father  that their child may be born stillborn, and if he made it through delivery he would likely need a heart transplant.

The mother, Otto was told that her son would have the best chance of survival if he made it to a 36-week delivery, but she went into labor after 33 weeks of gestation.

Within hours of birth, the baby was screened to ascertain he was healthy enough to have a heart transplant procedure and then was placed on the transplant list on January 9th, 2 days after which a viable heart became available. The operation lasted 10 hours and the baby is presently in recovery.

Though his lungs are too weak for him to be taken home and doctors aren’t sure how long it will be until he is released, his body hasn’t rejected the heart, the report said.

The new parents held a baby shower for him, and brought his infant car seat to his hospital room.

The Doctors at Phoenix Children’s Hospital believe Oliver is one of the youngest patients to ever receive a heart transplant.

The entire medical community does perceive Olivier's case,  something truly miraculous.

Ref: FoxNewsHealth

Medical Miracle: First Womb Transplant Baby Born

Medic-ALL (07:10:2014)

The first ever baby to be born via a transplanted womb was delivered in September to a 36 year Swedish woman who was born without a womb and received a womb transplant from a friend in her early-60s. The British Medical Journal "The Lancet" reported that the baby was born prematurely last month weighing 1.8kg (3.9lb).

The woman received her womb from a 61-year-old family friend. As the recipient had intact ovaries, she was able to produce eggs, which were then fertilized using IVF prior to the transplant.

Absolute uterine factor infertility is considered the only form of female infertility which remains untreatable. This condition is often consequence of "Rokitansky syndrome" a condition in which a female is born without a uterus (womb). Cancer treatment is another scenario in which a woman can be left without a functioning womb. Adoption and surrogacy have proved the best options for such women in the past to have children. However, this news of a woman with Rokitansky syndrome giving birth to a baby following a womb transplant brings hope to women with absolute uterine factor infertility.

The researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden who performed the transplant have been investigating the viability of womb transplantation for over ten years, conducting trials on rodents and non-human primates before attempting the procedure in humans.

The Swedish couplent through sessions of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to produce 11 embryos which were frozen. Doctors at the University of Gothenburg them performed the transplant. The donor was a 61 year old family friend who had gone through menopause seven years earlier. One year following the transplant, one of the embryos was transferred into the transplanted womb and pregnancy ensued.

The baby was born prematurely after 32 weeks via caesarean section after the mother developed preeclampsia (a condition associated with raised blood pressure in pregancy) and the baby's heart rate was discovered to be abnormal. The neonate was discharged from the neonatal unit 10 days after birth and reports reveal that both the baby and mother are doing well.

The transplant team was led by Prof. Mats Brannstrom who described the birth in Sweden as "joyous". While he continues to work with other couples with similar needs, the happy Swedish couple still celebrating the birth of their "miracle baby boy" will soon have to decide if they want a second.

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Ref: Medical News Today
      : BBC