Vol. 25
No. 8
www.cnic.navy.mil/bethesda/
March 8, 2013
Wounded Vet Undergoes Successful Double-Arm Transplant
Photo courtesy of Johns Hopkins Medicine
Several plastic, orthopedic and hand surgeons, rehabilitation specialists and nurses work together to perform a successful double-arm transplant on Iraqi war veteran Brendan Marrocco in December at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Only six other patients have successfully undergone the surgery in the United States. In addition to Walter Reed Bethesda, the surgery team also consisted of doctors from UCLA, Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore, and the University of Pittsburgh. By Sarah Marshall WRNMMC Journal staff writer After losing both arms and legs in 2009 while serving in Iraq, Brendan Marrocco is now regaining his independence, thanks to a doublearm transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital, performed by surgeons from across the country, including one of our own at Walter Reed Bethesda. Marrocco was driving an armored vehicle in Iraq when he was struck by a roadside bomb. He is the first Soldier to survive after losing all four limbs in the Iraqi conflict, according to Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee, who
led the team that performed the transplant. “[The procedure] was particularly meaningful because the recipient was a wounded warrior, someone who lost limbs during combat in Iraq, and our research has been sponsored by the DOD,” Lee said. The procedure took place over two days, Dec. 17-18, and lasted a little more than 12 hours, said Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Basile, who assisted the transplant team and is also assistant chief of Plastic Surgery and director of Microsurgery at Walter Reed Bethesda. Several plastic, orthopedic and hand surgeons, nurses, rehabilitation specialists and nurs-
es worked together to perform the transplant, which only six other patients have successfully undergone in the U.S., Basile said. In addition to Walter Reed Bethesda, the team also consisted of surgeons from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore, and the University of Pittsburgh. “The team is so much stronger from the collaboration of people not only from different institutions, but different disciplines,” Lee said. Basile explained the extensive procedure begins with doctors determining whether the patient is a good candidate for the transplant.
The patient’s medical history is evaluated by looking at whether the individual is missing any key structures, such as bulk muscle or significant nerve loss, that could prevent a positive outcome, he said. They also evaluate the patient’s disposition, ensuring the individual will be accepting of his or her new limbs and whether they would be capable of several hours of rehabilitation per day for years to come. “That’s one of the keys to success,” Basile said. Once the patient has been accepted into the transplant program, he
See TRANSPLANT page 10