A 15-year-old Goregaon teenager, who lost her right arm in an electrocution accident in Aligarh in 2022, has become the youngest hand transplant recipient in Asia and the first globally to undergo a shoulder-level limb transplant.
Anamta Ahmad's hand transplant, which took place a day after Ganpati visarjan on Sept 18, was possible due to a donation from the family of a 9-year-old girl declared brain-dead in a Surat hospital.
Ahmad was playing with her cousins on the terrace of her home in Aligarh during vacations when she accidentally touched an 11KV wire. The shock caused critical burns, damaging both her arms. Her right hand developed gangrene, leading to multiple amputations, while her left arm was also severely injured, leaving it with limited functionality.
The transplant was performed by plastic surgeon Dr Nilesh Satbhai at Gleneagles Hospital in Parel. "The youngest child to have previously undergone a hand transplant was 10-year-old Zion Harvey, who received a bilateral hand transplant in the US in 2017. However, those transplants were below the elbow. Ahmad is the youngest recipient of a shoulder-level arm transplant in the world," he said. The 12-hour surgery was a success, and she is recovering well, he added.
Shoulder-level transplants, especially in cases involving electric shocks, are difficult. "One needs healthy structures to attach the new limb. In Ahmad's case, the injury extended above the shoulder, which made the operation even more challenging. The muscles, blood vessels, and nerves were all severely damaged, and the surgery required us to work almost inside the chest to repair these structures," said Dr Satbhai.
An additional challenge was the strict timeline required for the donor organ to be delivered to the Parel hospital. The donor arm had to be transported under precise conditions, and the medical team needed to restore blood circulation to the arm within six hours of its procurement. The donor arm was airlifted to Mumbai airport and transported to the hospital through specially cleared routes for ambulances.
Nilesh Mandlewala, founder of Donate Life, an NGO helping raise awareness about organ donation, said, "The donor, a 9-year-old girl, suffered a brain haemorrhage and was declared brain-dead on Sept 15. Her family made the courageous decision to donate her organs," Mandlewala said. He said he hoped Ahmad will be able to tie a Rakhi on the wrist of the brain-dead donor's brother next year.
Anamta Ahmad's hand transplant, which took place a day after Ganpati visarjan on Sept 18, was possible due to a donation from the family of a 9-year-old girl declared brain-dead in a Surat hospital.
Ahmad was playing with her cousins on the terrace of her home in Aligarh during vacations when she accidentally touched an 11KV wire. The shock caused critical burns, damaging both her arms. Her right hand developed gangrene, leading to multiple amputations, while her left arm was also severely injured, leaving it with limited functionality.
The transplant was performed by plastic surgeon Dr Nilesh Satbhai at Gleneagles Hospital in Parel. "The youngest child to have previously undergone a hand transplant was 10-year-old Zion Harvey, who received a bilateral hand transplant in the US in 2017. However, those transplants were below the elbow. Ahmad is the youngest recipient of a shoulder-level arm transplant in the world," he said. The 12-hour surgery was a success, and she is recovering well, he added.
Shoulder-level transplants, especially in cases involving electric shocks, are difficult. "One needs healthy structures to attach the new limb. In Ahmad's case, the injury extended above the shoulder, which made the operation even more challenging. The muscles, blood vessels, and nerves were all severely damaged, and the surgery required us to work almost inside the chest to repair these structures," said Dr Satbhai.
An additional challenge was the strict timeline required for the donor organ to be delivered to the Parel hospital. The donor arm had to be transported under precise conditions, and the medical team needed to restore blood circulation to the arm within six hours of its procurement. The donor arm was airlifted to Mumbai airport and transported to the hospital through specially cleared routes for ambulances.
Nilesh Mandlewala, founder of Donate Life, an NGO helping raise awareness about organ donation, said, "The donor, a 9-year-old girl, suffered a brain haemorrhage and was declared brain-dead on Sept 15. Her family made the courageous decision to donate her organs," Mandlewala said. He said he hoped Ahmad will be able to tie a Rakhi on the wrist of the brain-dead donor's brother next year.
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