Peter Walsh, 65, a grandfather, with no hands or feet has been wriggling his new fingers after becoming the first Australian recipient of a hand transplant. He underwent a landmark nine-hour operation at St Vincent's Hospital this week after years of painstaking planning by Melbourne specialists.
Mr Walsh, who was a plumber lost both his hands, most of his left leg and part of his right foot four years ago to a bacterial infection which almost killed him. This week the grandfather of 16 from Cobben, in Victoria's west received a donor’s right hand. Surgeons have been cautious in declaring its short-term success - it is very early days - but Mr Walsh was yesterday displaying promising signs with his donated right hand. Prof Wayne Morrison, who led the surgical team said, “Peter was wriggling his fingers today…We actually don't want him to be moving his hand yet, but it's demonstrating everything is connected…Everything is on track.”
The next question is whether Mr Walsh's body accepts the donor hand. Sensation in his fingertips will not be felt for a year, if at all say surgeons. After four to five weeks, he should be able to perform basic movements, working towards making a fist. He will be undergoing physiotherapy now and given a lifetime of anti-rejection medication to prevent his body from rejecting the new hand.
About 60 hand and arm transplants have been performed around the world, with a very high success rate.
The medical director of hand transplant program at UCLA, Dr Sue McDiarmid said, “It is truly amazing to see the function that returns in these transplanted hands over the course of the months and even the years…Our patients do need to put some time in with the rehab, but I have seen patients restored to full use of their hands doing the things that you and I take for granted.”
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