Mumbai, Jan 20 (PTI) An 18-year-old boy, whose life was upended by a farming accident that cost him his hands, has got a shot at normal life through a bilateral hand transplant at a private hospital in Mumbai.
Priyank Aghera, the son of a farmer from Gujarat's Rajkot district, lost hands in January 2024 while helping his father harvest cotton.
The family of a 50-year-old woman from Surat consented to cadaveric organ donation following her death, and her hands were transplanted to the teen in a complex 13-hour procedure.
Dr Nilesh Satbhai, director of Plastic, Reconstructive Microsurgery and Hand Transplantation at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, and his team performed the bilateral hand transplant.
"While awareness around donation of organs such as the liver, kidneys and heart has grown, hand donation remains rare, as hands are visible external organs and families hesitate during bereavement," Dr Satbhai said.
This transplant highlights how timely cadaveric donation can make such complex procedures possible, he said.
"Hand transplantation can deliver outcomes that prosthetics often cannot, including sensation and coordinated movement, enabling young patients to return to education, work and self-care," Dr Satbhai added. PTI SM ARU
