What follow-up care is needed after hand transplant surgery?

Following their discharge, hand transplant patients will need to return to Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) for routine visits. These visits will include monitoring transplant drug levels (immunosuppressants) through regular blood tests, rehabilitative therapy, imaging tests, assessing quality of life, and checking for the return of sensation and movement to the hand. Rehabilitation visits will take place daily for several months, whereas the other visits will typically take place on a weekly basis for the first three months and then at least once a month for the first year following surgery. In a case where the patient lives far away from BWH, we are anticipating that video conferences with collaborating medical centers will replace lengthy commutes.

After the first year, it is expected that hand transplant patients will need to visit the hospital less frequently. However, patients must be prepared to make a lifetime commitment to immunosuppressants to help prevent the rejection of the transplanted hand.