Double hand transplant gives mother new lease of life
A complex procedure and an act of generosity have enabled a young mother of two to undergo a bilateral hand transplant at a Delhi hospital after a brain-dead donor’s family consented to donating the upper limbs, officials said.
The woman had lost both her hands in a chaff-cutting machine accident, they said. According to a statement issued by the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, this is the second such bilateral hand transplant performed at the facility.
The transplant offered the patient, who had been completely dependent on others for daily activities since the accident, a chance to regain functional independence after a suitable donor was identified.
The 12-hour surgery involved transplantation of both donor upper limbs — the right one at the supracondylar level (just above the elbow) and the left one at the distal forearm level (near the wrist) — with surgeons carrying out precise microsurgical steps including bone fixation, tendon repair, vascular anastomosis and nerve coaptation to restore circulation and movement.
“This successful bilateral hand transplant is a matter of immense pride for the department and the hospital. Such procedures represent the pinnacle of reconstructive microsurgery and offer a second life to patients who have lost both limbs and independence,” Dr Mahesh Mangal, chairman, Department of Plastic, Cosmetic and Hand Microsurgery, said.
“Bilateral hand transplantation is not merely a surgery but a carefully orchestrated sequence where every minute is critical for graft survival. Our goal was not just to restore anatomy, but to help the patient regain dignity and functionality,” Dr Anubhav Gupta, senior consultant, Department of Plastic, Cosmetic and Hand Microsurgery, said.
Highlighting the key steps, Dr Bheem Nanda, senior consultant, Department of Plastic, Cosmetic and Hand Microsurgery, said maintaining tissue viability during ischemia and ensuring stable skeletal fixation before vascular reperfusion were crucial.
Dr Nikhil Jhunjhunwala, consultant, Department of Plastic, Cosmetic and Hand Microsurgery, said postoperative care, including immunosuppression, rehabilitation and physiotherapy, would play a critical role in long-term functional recovery.
The hospital said the transplant was carried out by a multidisciplinary team involving specialists from plastic surgery, orthopaedics, anaesthesia, nephrology, neurology, psychiatry, pathology, genetics, physiotherapy, intensive care and hospital administration.
It also expressed gratitude to the donor and the donor’s family for their decision, stating that their act has given the patient renewed hope and a new lease of life.
