An Indian painter who had lost both his hands in an accident has received a new set of limbs after a donation by a woman who had pledged her organs to be used following her death and as doctors at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital performed a complex surgery.

In October 2020, Raj Kumar, now 45, was crossing the railway tracks in Nangloi on his bicycle when he lost control and was run over by the train losing both his hands. Kumar had been using prosthetics but his prosthetic trial was unsuccessful.

His only hope was a hand transplant. And, a pledge by Meena Mehta, former administrative head of a South Delhi school who was declared brain-dead, came to his help.

Kumar underwent a bilateral hand transplant under the team of Dr Mahesh Mangal, Chairman, Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, and Dr Swaroop Singh Gambhir, Senior Consultant, Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

Keeping transplant protocols in mind, after detailed examination and necessary investigations, a team of 11 doctors executed the intricate 12-hour procedure, delicately reattaching various components, including bones, arteries, veins, tendons, muscles, nerves, and skin.

Speaking with The Indian Express, Dr Gambhir said they selected Kumar as he was a bilateral amputee and took the hands from Mehta, who was a multi-organ donor.

“Once we selected the patient, and did the blood match we got to know he was the fit candidate for the patient. We took the hands and we fixed the bones first with plates and screws and we fixed the muscles and then artery and the nerve,” said Dr Gambhir.

Dr Gambhir said precision and expertise were the keys to ensuring the seamless integration of the transplanted hands into Kumar’s body. Raj Kumar recovered in six weeks after the surgery and Dr Gambhir said Kumar is doing fine now and will be discharged later on Wednesday.

One of Mehta’s kidneys was sent to Fortis Gurgaon, offering a new lease of life to a patient. Simultaneously, her hands, liver, and corneas became instruments of transformation at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, opening up new possibilities for the recipients.

In February 2023, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital became the first hospital in North India to receive permission to perform hand transplant surgeries.

Source: The Indian Express