Donnie Rickelman, the seventh recipient of a hand transplant at Jewish Hospital, will return to the Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center in Louisville on December 20, 2011 for a check-up and evaluation with his team of doctors. He will demonstrate his progress by wrapping a Christmas present, just in time for the holidays.

Rickelman received a new left hand in a 14½ hour procedure at Jewish Hospital on Sunday, July 10, 2011. Joseph Kutz, M.D., with the Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center, led the 15-member team of hand surgeons, which included fellows from the Christine M. Kleinert Institute (CMKI).  He returned to his home in Linton, Indiana in October, but has remained in close touch with his medical team as they monitor his progress.

“It’s a very happy Christmas this year,” said Rickelman. “Kelli and I are just very happy and thankful for the gift of a hand transplant.”

Members of Rickelman’s medical team say he continues to show excellent progress.

“Donnie is doing quite well,” said Kutz, co-investigator for the innovative procedure.  “He continues to progress better than any of our previous patients. He has an incredible outlook and attitude, which has certainly helped him.” 

The research team at CMKI will be evaluating Donnie and performing some clinical, as well as research, tests. So far, he has passed everything with flying colors. It’s great that he lives close enough for us to see him every month.  

“Although Donnie has had a few mild rejection episodes showing up as a rash on his hand or arm, he continues to do quite well,” said Michael Marvin, M.D., director of Transplantation at Jewish Hospital, associate professor of Surgery at the University of Louisville and co-principle investigator of the composite tissue allotransplantation research project at Jewish Hospital. “These mild rejection episodes are to be expected and are treated with medications.”  Dr. Marvin and Dr. Rosemary Ouseph oversee Rickelman’s immunosuppressive drug therapy by closely monitoring him for signs of rejection and adverse reaction to medications with lab tests and biopsies. 

Rickelman, 36, injured both hands in a factory accident on March 9, 1998 when they were caught in a steel-splitter machine. His dominant right hand was crushed and his left hand partially amputated below the wrist, leaving a partial thumb and limited wrist movement with the left hand. While he remained independent, he struggled with the activities of daily living. 

The Composite Tissue Allotransplantation program is a partnership of physicians, researchers and healthcare providers at Jewish Hospital, the Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center, the Christine M. Kleinert Institute and the University of Louisville. The group developed the pioneering hand transplant procedure and has performed a total of eight hand transplants on seven patients since 1999. Indiana Organ Procurement Organization in coordination with the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates arranged the hand donation for Rickelman’s hand transplant procedure.

The hand transplant is sponsored by the Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research and Office of Army Research to further research in the composite tissue allotransplantation program.

Patient and physician information is available at www.handtransplant.com.

About the Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center

Kleinert Kutz is one of the largest hand care programs in the world, pioneering achievements in hand and microsurgery, research, therapy and orthotics. The 12 physicians of Kleinert Kutz offer expertise in orthopedic and plastic surgery and provide comprehensive upper extremity care – from major trauma and replantations to less serious problems such as minor injuries. Kleinert Kutz's World “firsts” include:

• First reported repair of a digital artery
• First reported successful technique for primary flexor tendon repair in “No Man’s Land”
• First vascularized epiphyseal transfer
• First bilateral forearm replantation
• One of the world’s first cross-hand replantations
• Pioneered work in primary reconstruction using free tissue transfer
• First bilateral upper arm replantation
• National award for research in blood flow to the nerves
• World’s Most Successful hand transplant

For more information, please visit www.kleinertkutz.com or call (502) 562-0314.

About CMKI

The Christine M. Kleinert Institute is a nonprofit education and research organization funded by the Kleinert-Kutz Endowment for Education and Research in Hand and Micro Surgery.

Harold E. Kleinert, M.D., started a hand surgery clinic in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1953. Joined by Joseph E. Kutz, M.D., in 1964, they formed the organization now known as Kleinert Kutz. The physicians of the Hand Care Center are teaching the next generation of hand surgeons through the fellowship program of the Christine M. Kleinert Institute.

Named in honor of Dr. Kleinert's mother, the Institute has grown out of the collaboration among the physicians of Kleinert Kutz. It is known worldwide for its research and education in upper extremity care and microsurgery.

The accredited fellowship program is a cooperative effort of the Institute and the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Fellows are fully trained plastic, orthopedic or general surgeons who come to Louisville from all over the world for additional training in hand and microsurgery. To date, more than 1,200 physicians from 58 countries have served as Fellows.