A woman who lost both her hands in a severe infection recently underwent a double hand transplant at Sahlgrenska Hospital in Gothenburg.
An operation that required long preparation and large resources.
In total, between 35 and 40 people worked in the operations team.
- We operated for eighteen hours and prepared the operation for seven, eight years.
We were fifteen surgeons involved and a large team of operating room nurses and anesthesiologists, says hand surgeon Paolo Sassu, who led the operating team.
The preparations for the operation have involved training with the help of so-called "augmented reality", augmented reality, which was carried out in collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology.
There, the patient has practiced his brain to be able to use and feel his new hands.
Could wiggle his fingers the next day
Already the day after the operation, which was performed in December, the patient was able to touch all the fingers of the new hands.
Now follows hard training for further mobility and function.
Several activities are involved in the person's rehabilitation and the care chain is far from over.
But the patient is hopeful.
- Having two hands that I can move is a wonderful feeling.
This is a big difference from the prostheses I had before.
I am completely satisfied with my very nice hands, says the patient via Sahlgrenska.
Ethical issues taken into account
Hand surgeon Paolo Sassu led the work during the operation.
There are no exact figures on how many people amputate a hand or an arm each year, and not all of them have the conditions to be able to get new hands.
There are also ethical issues to consider when it comes to transplanting body parts.
Even if the donor is on the donation register, conversations with relatives are important.
- The patient is so happy and so grateful.
And she can actually have a new life, says hand surgeon Paolo Sassu, who led the surgery team.
In the clip above, you can see how the woman's new hands work.