Other Follow-Up Care
Jon W. Jones, Jr., M.D., assistant professor of Surgery at University of Louisville, performs a biopsy from Matthew Scott, the nation's first hand transplant recipient, during a visit to Jewish Hospital, January 25. 2000.
(Photo courtesy of Jewish Hospital; Kleinert, Kutz and Associates Hand Care Center; and University of Louisville [caption: www.handtransplant.org])
One final aspect in follow-up care for the graft recipient is the need for frequent and regular skin biopsies of the graft. These biopsies allow the patient’s doctors to monitor for early signs of rejection that may be occurring in the tissue. Biopsies are also conducted whenever there are visible signs of rejection (rash, etc.) on the transplanted hand. The rejection process is most prevalent on the outer layer of the skin, but scant in the underlying tissues, such as muscle and bone; thus, monitoring changes on the skin seems to be an effective method for recognizing signs of rejection. The results of these skin biopsies may lead to temporary modifications in patient’s regimen of immunosuppressive drugs to combat episodes of rejection. Episodes of acute skin rejection seem to be able to be reversed by increasing the steroid dose (Prednisone) in the patient’s drug regimen.
