In the OrthoCarolina Hand Center, one day each month is set aside specifically for upper extremity amputee patients. Drs. Glenn Gaston and Bryan Loeffler are the brains and hearts behind the Reconstructive Center for Lost Limbs (RCLL), a holistic, patient-focused day where patients can meet with a number of specialists all in one place.
In a single visit, patients sit down with a medical doctor to check their progress and meet with a prosthetist to discuss their options for a prosthetic device or ask questions about the device they currently use. Patients are also screened for PTSD and depression and have the opportunity to speak with an on-site psychologist.
“Having that whole continuity of care is really unique from anywhere else in the country,” Loeffler explains. RCLL is the only collaborative clinic for upper extremity patients led by surgeons at this time.
“This program has given back what people lost. I can move forward with my life and I can move forward in my day-to-day living,” Margret Magee said when asked about her experience as an RCLL patient. “It is a feeling of completion, that I am whole. They made me whole.”
The work the physicians are doing extends out of this monthly clinic environment as they research and teach surgical techniques, like the Starfish Procedure. Dr. Gaston and Dr. Loeffler have pioneered a surgical technique to allow upper extremity amputee patients the ability to control individual fingers on a myoelectric prosthetic hand through brain signals. Their recent studies also found that people born without a hand have the ability to control a specially designed prosthetic as well.
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We are excited to partner with this dynamic team as they continue to improve patient care.
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