Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
UCLA’s first hand transplant surgery goes well
Listen
The emergency entrance to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is seen on October 9, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
(
David McNew/Getty Images
)
Doctors are providing details about a hand transplant surgery at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center during the weekend. The operation was the 13th performed in the United States – but the first on the West Coast.
Knitting together the tiny nerves, blood vessels and muscles involved in a hand transplant required a small army of surgeons and nurses – and 14-and-a-half hours on Saturday. That medical army’s commanding general was Dr. Kodi Azari.
He’s an expert in orthopedic and plastic surgery; he’d been involved in four other hand transplant operations. Dr. Azari also directs UCLA’s Hand Transplant Program; this surgery was the experimental program’s first.
The 26-year-old Northern California woman who got the new right hand had lost her own in a traffic accident five years ago.
Support for LAist comes from
While she recovers, UCLA doctors will closely follow her progress – not just to make sure her body doesn’t reject the hand, but also to understand how she regains some function in it. She’ll undergo periodic brain scans so doctors can see which parts of her brain react as she tries to move the fingers of her new hand.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist