When the world’s first successful face and double hand transplant was performed on the same patient last year, the surgeons who performed the surgery were working on a Department of Defense-funded clinical trial.
A team of more than 140 medical professionals from New York University’s Langone Health, completed the 23-hour operation using 3D planning and printing procedures, ultimately restoring quality of life and function to the recipient, Joe DiMeo of Clark, New Jersey, according to an Army Futures Command release.
The ground-breaking operation was funded in part by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Reconstructive Transplant Research Program.
While the surgery was performed last August, the results were announced recently as DiMeo reached the critical six-month recovery mark.
"The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development command is proud to be a part of such innovative efforts, that will not only change Mr. DiMeo’s life but also have the potential to make a significant impact on the overall quality of life for injured Service Members, veterans and the American public,” said Brig. Gen. Michael Talley, commanding general of USAMRDC and Fort Detrick.
DiMeo was badly burned in a car accident in 2018 which left him with third-degree burns covering 80% of his body and face. DiMeo’s injuries required his fingertips to be amputated.
“The RTRP challenges the scientific community to design innovative research that will foster new directions for and address neglected issues in the field of reconstructive transplantation, specifically focused on vascularized composite allotransplantation research,” said Col. Sarah B. Goldman, director of CDMRP.
NYU’s Dr. Daniel Ceradini received a $2.5 million award from CDMRP’s RTRP in 2015. He and his team are investigating the utility of 3D computer surgical planning and 3D-printed, patient-specific cutting guides for optimizing functional and aesthetic outcomes of transplant procedures.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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