Contacting a Transplant Center
What Happens When I Contact a Hand Transplant Center?
Different programs offer different approaches to screening potential transplant candidates. Generally, programs use the following steps to see if you may be a good candidate for a hand/arm transplant:
The hand transplant coordinator or nurse coordinator conducts a phone interview with you to see if you are eligible.
If you are considered possibly eligible after the phone interview, you may be asked to do one or more of the following things: participate in a videoconference call with a surgeon, go to the transplant center for a reconstructive consultation, and/or have screening labs/blood work drawn locally and sent to the center for processing. Check out the Question Prompt Sheet for questions to ask the transplant team about hand/arm transplantation.
If you continue to be considered eligible, you are invited to the transplant center for a 3-5 day series of screening visits. Most centers will send the candidate the consent form in advance of the visit so they have time to review it and write down questions.
Before having blood drawn or starting the screening visit, you will need to provide informed consent to undergo the evaluation process.