Experience With Patient Referrals for Upper Extremity Transplantation at a U.S. Academic Medical Center

Purpose To date, there have been over 100 upper extremity transplantations (UET) performed worldwide. However, little data are available regarding institutional screening practices or description of the population of patients that seek transplantation as a treatment modality for their upper extremity disabilities. We performed a review of our institutional experience in an attempt to better understand our referral patterns and identify factors that may be associated with successful screening. Methods Contact demographic data, injury characteristics, and mode of referral were retrospectively reviewed from 2010 through 2015. Differences in demographic data, injury-related characteristics, and clinical trial outcomes were assessed with the Chi-square test or Fisher exact test. Results There were a total of 89 UET contacts. The average age was 35.2 years, with most contacts being white (n = 24). The majority were male (n = 66; 75.0%) and the most common indication for referral was trauma (n = 43; 55.8%). Of the 89 contacts, 20 (22.5%) were physician referrals and 69 (77.5%) were self-referrals. Physician referrals led to the most screened and accepted contacts, whereas self-referrals more often led to immediate exclusion. Conclusions This study gives an overview of the demographic composition of our UET contacts, with a specific emphasis on mode of referral. We have identified that physician referrals have led to more screened and accepted patients versus self-referred individuals. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic, Level IV.