15-year-old Mumbai girl becomes first in the world to successfully undergo hand transplant at shoulder level

The teenager has also become the youngest such recipient in Asia.

Mumbai: In a historic set of events, a 15-year-old girl from Goregaon in Mumbai, who lost her right hand due to electrocution in 2022, has received a new hand - becoming the first globally to undergo a shoulder-level limb transplant successfully.

This teenager has become the youngest recipient in Asia.

Dr Nilesh Satbhai, Head of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Microsurgery at Gleneagles Hospitals in Parel carried out the 12-hour surgery on Anamta Ahmad.

The donor is a 9-year-old girl from Surat, who was suffering from a brain tumour and was declared brain dead.

Two years ago, the girl, then 13, travelled to her hometown of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh for a vacation. While playing with her cousins, she accidentally touched an 11KV wire on the terrace, resulting in a severe electric shock that caused significant burns.

Her right hand developed gangrene and had to be amputated thrice. Her left arm was also severely injured with major wounds and poor function.

After having her right arm amputated just below the shoulder level, the recipient is now on track to recover and regain normal movements and function of her new arm. The young girl is thrilled about her new opportunity and eagerly anticipates returning to school.

The family kept searching for options and solutions for their difficult situation. They soon realised that Hand Transplantation was the only suitable solution for this complex problem. They visited multiple hospitals across India, and also a few centres in Singapore and Thailand. They were refused Hand transplantation at all these centres as the amputation was at a very high level. Finally, they came to Gleneagles Hospital, Mumbai and consulted Dr Satbhai.

“Hand Transplantation is a complex procedure which requires a detailed assessment of the recipient. The primary injury often results in severe scarring of the skin, blood vessels and nerves. We need to assess this beforehand and plan accordingly. In transplantation at higher levels, bony fixation is a challenge as well," Dr. Satbhai said.

Speaking on Anamta’s case, he said, "As the injury was almost at shoulder level, we had to repair the blood vessels and nerves at a very high level under the clavicle (collarbone). This can be technically very challenging. The most important factor is to restore the circulation of the donor's hands within 6 hours, so that it survives and functions well, without causing any risk to the recipient."

Talking about the procedure, the doctor said, "The surgery took almost 12 hours and required great teamwork from surgeons, anesthesiologists, immunologists and intensive care physicians. The patient is recovering well and is still in the ICU for observation. "

"She will be on life-long immunosuppression. Her physiotherapy and rehabilitation will start soon. It usually takes 9-12 months for functional recovery after such proximal transplants,” Dr Satbhai added.

The father of the girl, Aqeel Ahmad, a filmmaker by profession, said,“The loss of my daughter's right hand was a heart-wrenching experience not just for her, but for our entire family. Her optimism kept us going through this difficult time. After waiting for two long years, we felt it was a miracle when our prayers were answered. We jumped with excitement on hearing the news that our daughter would get a new hand. She too couldn’t hold herself back from crying and heaved a huge sigh of relief."