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Military VCA in the World

  • Vascularized Composite Allografts (V Gorantla, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Transplantation Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

The world’s first hand transplant was performed for a serviceman in 1964, following a blast injury. Despite a need for such effective reconstruction of military wounds, only eight further transplants have been performed for injured soldiers. This review analysed the specific factors that have informed the use of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) in military patients.

Recent Findings

Nine servicemembers have received reconstructive transplants worldwide. Seven have received upper limb transplants, one a partial face transplant and one a penile transplant. These have been in Ecuador, the USA, Poland, India and Russia. Countries with clinical VCA programmes in military hospitals include Vietnam and China, whilst others have active pre-clinical VCA research programmes including the USA, the UK and Canada.

Summary

Despite specific concerns in reconstructing military patients using VCA, outcomes have improved in the last decade and the field has evolved to include more complex tissue composites, across more international centres.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: •• Of major importance

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford, UK

    C. A. Fries

  2. United States Air Force (Reserve) San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

    D. Tuder

  3. Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    V. S. Gorantla

  4. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Clinical Division and Burn Center, The United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, San Antonio, TX, USA

    R. K. Chan

  5. US Combat Casualty Care Research Program, Medical Research and Materiel Command, Washington, DC, USA

    M. R. Davis

Authors
  1. C. A. Fries
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  2. D. Tuder
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  3. V. S. Gorantla
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  4. R. K. Chan
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  5. M. R. Davis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. A. Fries.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Vascularized Composite Allografts

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Fries, C.A., Tuder, D., Gorantla, V.S. et al. Military VCA in the World. Curr Transpl Rep 7, 246–250 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40472-020-00294-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40472-020-00294-y

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