Loading...
Prosthetic limbs give little sensory feedback to the user, who must rely on vision to guide limb position and movement. Now, a new development offers an alternative channel of sensory feedback to patients who have undergone amputation.
Two patients had amputations of the upper arm following injuries. Nine and 15 months later, respectively, the 54-year-old man with an electrical burn and the 24-year-old woman injured in an automobile accident underwent transplantation of the brachial plexus of the amputated limb to the upper chest. In both cases, the cutaneous nerves regenerated. The use of mechanical sensors and careful sensory mapping using temperature, light touch, and pain led to perception of sensation localized to specific areas, includ…