A position paper in support of hand transplantation in the blind.

Abstract

Blind upper extremity amputees have historically been excluded from consideration for hand allotransplantation. Although no formal position statement regarding their exclusion has been published to date, functional, rehabilitative, and ethical concerns related to blind amputee candidacy for hand transplantation may be inferred. The authors provide a summary of these reservations and a counterargument to their assumptions, drawing on outcomes measures reported for hand transplantations completed to date. The authors therefore provide a rationale for the inclusion of blind amputees in hand transplantation protocols in the future.