Doctors Announce Double Hand Transplant a Success

Healthcare experts announce that the third double-hand transplant performed in the United States may be a success, given that the patient can wiggle his fingers.

The accomplishment is tremendously important, given the complex nature of the surgery required to make this a reality. The procedure had low odds of success to begin with.

Regardless, it would appear that Dr. Richard Edwards, who was the beneficiary of the transplant, is a very lucky man. He discovered recently that he can wiggle his fingers, which is a tremendous milestone in the recovery process.

He had his hands replaced between August 24-25, during a surgery that lasted more than 17 hours. The procedure was performed at the Jewish Hospital Hand Care Center.

The 55-year-old Oklahoma resident says now that he is feeling fantastic, and is optimistic about the future in store for him.

Doctors say that their patient can make his left hand into a fist, and his right into a partial fist. The right hand also required a skin graft, and the experts say that the area appears to be healing nicely.

“This is the best motion of any hand transplant patient we’ve ever done.  This is the result you would expect at six months,” says Dr. Warren C. Breidenbach.

He works for Kleinert Kutz & Associates, and was the leader of the team that conducted the operation. Twenty hand surgeons were required in order to perform the hand transplants. 

“This is a breakthrough transplant. This is the first time a transplant has been done where we have allowed a patient’s tissue to remain within the new hands,” the expert adds.

“We connected the tendons from the donor hand to the recipient hand since neither was damaged.  By using the recipient’s tissue, we have opened up new opportunities,” he explains further.

Edwards fell victim to a fire in 2006, when his truck burst into flames. He was burnt severely on his face and hands, which lost most of their tissue, and function too.

But now he is experiencing the ability to flex his fingers for the first time in more than 4 years.

“I feel fantastic. I feel very blessed and thankful to have new hands.  I am so thankful I had a team of doctors who were allowed to think outside the box,” he says.

“This donor family has given us a second lease on life. I cannot thank them enough. We will continue to always pray for them.  What I look forward to most is getting my husband back, his personality back and getting our life back together,” says Edwards' wife, Cindy, quoted by LiveScience.