Girl Dies After Groundbreaking Trachea Transplant

[NickB79]

Source: ABC News

Hannah Warren, the pigtailed toddler who made history this year as the youngest person to receive an artificial windpipe, died Saturday from complications, according to a statement from the Children's Hospital of Illinois.

"Following her successful, pioneering trachea transplant surgery on April 9, 2013, and despite all efforts, Hannah was unable to overcome additional health issues that were identified as her care progressed," the Peoria, Ill.-based hospital said in a statement. "Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the Warren family."

Hannah, 2, was born with tracheal agenesis, a rare and usually fatal birth defect. In April, doctors at the Children's Hospital of Illinois implanted a windpipe made of nanofiber mesh coated with Hannah's own bone marrow cells.

Although the trachea was "performing well," Hannah's lung function "went from fairly good, to weak, to poor," according to her family.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/girl-dies-groundbreaking-trachea-transplant/story?id=19604605#.Udr7wW20SSo

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She looks like my 3-yr old

[Trillo]

1. So, nanofiber mesh acts as a substrate for the growth of undesirable organisms? NT

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. This might be one of those cases where they tested on a subect that was going to die anyway.

[kestrel91316]

4. She was doomed from birth. Physicians are so full of hubris.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. Actually, it was probably the only type of patient they could get for an experiment.

[Journeyman]

3. These are the days of miracle and wonder . . .

Three months this time, three years tomorrow, a lifetime in the offing.

Days of miracle and wonder indeed.

[SoapBox]

5. Exactly.

...well said.

[RILib]

7. we owe a lot to the first heart transplant patient

How many of us would volunteer instead of dying relatively peacefully.

[Posteritatis]

8. Yep. (nt)