Washington (H24N). Six-month-old Chong Lih Ying can hug her family a little tighter thanks to a groundbreaking arm transplant conducted by surgeons in Malaysia’s Selayang Hospital.

A team of 55 doctors, led by V. Pathmanathan, MD, who have been successful in approximately 300 limb attachments over the past 10 years, attached a fully functioning arm onto the girl’s previously malformed limb six months ago. The limb was donated by Ying’s twin sister, who, because of severe brain damage, died at birth. The intricate operation lasted 15 hours.

Technically known as free tissue transfer, the procedure, a subspecialty of micro-surgery, was initiated in 1968 with the first micro-vascular transplant and has been in practice for at least 20 years

The surgical procedure is a tedious process that can take anywhere from eight to 12 hours. Surgeons must first sever and reattach nerves, arteries, tendons and bones within the arms.

Ying’s surgery was unique because doctors did not have to administer immunosuppressant drugs because the child’s body was less likely to reject the flesh of her kin.

There was, however, a complication to watch for. If the nerves failed to regenerate themselves, the child’s ability to sense things like and hot and cold would be greatly diminished.

Such a complication did not present itself and after initial swelling, the hand continues to grow with all the normal wrist and elbow functions intact. The arm’s range of joint motion, muscle contractions, and gliding tendons are up to par as well. The only negative report involves one of the three nerves that was severed and reattached; it has not responded well.

However, doctors report that the girl’s overall health is good.

The doctors presented their story to the 22^nd World Congress of the International College of Surgeons that was held Oct. 8-12.

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