Accident victim gets new hands in rare transplant at Delhi hospital

A 45-year-old man, who lost his upper limbs after being run over by a train, has got another shot at resuming a normal life with a bilateral hand transplant at a private hospital in the national capital.

The patient will be discharged from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Thursday after spending nearly six weeks in the hospital.

Raj Kumar, a resident of Nangloi and a painter by profession, was crossing the railway track near his house on his bicycle when he lost control over it and fell down on the tracks and came under a train in 2020, according to the doctors at the hospital.

He lost his upper limbs in the accident. Kumar became dependent on others for his day-to-day activities, said Dr Mahesh Mangal, chairman of the Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery at the medical facility.

Kumar’s only options were either the use of prosthetics or hand transplant. He began using prosthetics but his prosthetic trail was unsuccessful and his only hope was a hand transplant, he said.

But at that time, no centre in north India had the permission to perform a hand transplant.

In February 2023, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital,became the first hospital in north India to receive permission to perform hand transplant, said the senior doctor.

“When we were looking for potential candidates for hand transplant, Kumar was on our waiting list. As per transplant protocols, detailed examination and necessary investigations were done. In third week of January, a glimmer of optimism emerged for Raj Kumar when he got a call from the hospital,” the doctor said.

The family members of Meena Mehta who was declared brain-dead, a retired vice-principal of a school in Delhi expressed their wish to donate her organs after her death.

Her kidney, liver and corneas have transformed the lives of three others.

On January 19, a team of surgeons collaborated to execute the intricate procedure, delicately reattaching various components bones, arteries, veins, tendons, muscles, nerves, and skin.

Precision and expertise were the key, ensuring the seamless integration of the transplanted hands into Raj Kumar’s body, Mangal said. (With inputs from PTI)