Iraq war veteran gets double arm transplant

Brendan Marrocco, former US army sergeant who lost both arms and legs in Iraq, has successful bilateral arm transplant surgeryA retired US army sergeant who underwent a double arm transplant after losing his limbs in Iraq has been discharged from the Johns Hopkins hospital.Sergeant Brendan Marrocco, 26, of Staten Island, New York, said he was anxious to return to an active life after the successful bilateral arm transplant surgery six weeks ago at the renowned Baltimore hospital."I feel like I'm getting a second chance to start over," he said at a news conference. "I'm just looking forward to everything I would have wanted to do over the last four years." Driving, swimming and hand cycling top his list, he added.He lost his arms and legs in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq in 2009. "I hated having no arms," Marrocco said. "I was all right with having no legs."Double-arm transplant surgery is rare and doctors said this was the first such successful procedure to be conducted at Johns Hopkins. Officials said Marrocco was the first US soldier from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to survive after losing all four limbs.Dr Andrew Lee, who led the transplant team, said although the surgery had been successful it would be several years before Marrocco's nerves regenerated and he gained significant use of the arms. "The progress will be slow but the outcome will be rewarding," he said.Dr Jamie Shores, an assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery and a member of the surgical...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Tags: United States World news guardian.co.uk Medical research US military Science Source Type: news