The UK's first double hand
transplant operation has taken
place at Leeds General
Infirmary and the patient says
his new hands look
"tremendous".
Chris King, from Doncaster, lost
both his hands, apart from the
thumbs, in an accident involving
a metal pressing machine at
work three years ago.
He received two new hands from
a donor and says he already has
some movement in them.
Prof Simon Kay led the operation
at the UK's centre for hand
transplants.
Mr King, who is 57, is the second
person to have a hand transplant
at Leeds, and the first to have
both hands replaced.
He said: "I couldn't wish for
anything better. It's better than a
lottery win because you feel
whole again."
Mr King said the operation,
which took place in the past few
days, appeared to have been a
complete success.
"They look absolutely
tremendous," he said.
"They're my hands. They really
are my hands. My blood's going
through them. My tendons are
attached. They're mine. They
really are."
'Complex'
Prof Kay, a consultant plastic
surgeon at Leeds General
Infirmary, said it was a unique
procedure: "It's the first time as
far as I'm aware that a hand
transplant has been done which
hasn't been above the wrist,
which has been within the
substance of the hand, which
makes it much more difficult and
more complex."
And he said there was more to
think about when transplanting
hands rather than internal
organs.
"Nobody cares what their kidney
looks like as long as it works.
"But not only do we have to
match the hands
immunologically, in the same way
that we have to match kidneys
and livers, they also have to look
appropriate because the hands
are on view the whole time."
Prof Kay also said there could be
a psychological impact on the
patient of receiving hands from a
donor.
Families also found it harder to
contemplate donating the hands
of a loved-one, he said.
Beer in hand
Mr King said he couldn't wait to
take the bandages off to look at
them properly.
And he said he was really looking
forward to holding a bottle of
beer and wearing shirts with
proper buttons again.
"It was just like the hands were
made to measure. They
absolutely fit," he said.
"And it's actually opened a
memory because I could never
remember what my hands
looked like after the accident
because that part of my brain
shut down."
He says he remembers the
accident perfectly but said there
was no pain and no trauma.
Mr King said his passion was
cycling and he had already had a
bike adapted so he could use it.
Now, he is itching to ride
properly and just start doing
simple things, such as gardening
and using his ride-on mower.
After his accident, Mr King was
introduced by Prof Kay to Mark
Cahill - the first person to have
a hand transplant in the UK, in
2012
.
He said Mr Cahill encouraged him
to have the operation and they're
now good friends, he said.
"We'll shake hands one day. It's
wonderful stuff."
The team at Leeds General
Infirmary, which specialises in
hand transplants, is hoping to
perform between two and four
operations a year and there are
currently four people on the
waiting list.
Mr King encouraged more people
to pledge to donate their hands.
He said: "Even if you don't have a
card, just have the conversation
with your family.
"There's no greater gift."
source: www-bbc-com.0.freebasics.com/news/health-36858169?iorg_service_id_internal=624173547714020">https://http-www-bbc-com.0.freebasics.com/news/health-36858169?iorg_service_id_internal=624173547714020%3BAfqUO7HS0ra938xP

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