Jith Kumar Saji can now operate the mobile phone “with his hands”. He is the beneficiary of hands donated by an accident victim two months ago.
Organ donations are now common in the State, with the Kerala Network of Organ Sharing playing a pivotal role. Jith, 21, son of a mason from Iratty, Kannur, had lost his forearms in an accident in 2013.
He found a donor in Raison Sunny, 24, who was declared brain-dead following an accident. Sunny and Shaly, who had lost their only son, decided to donate his six organs. It becomes a tough call for a family to agree to donate the organs of a brain-dead person, as it mutilates the body. But Raison’s parents were firm in their resolve, and it brought alive Jith’s wish to go for a double hand transplant.
Surgery on May 24
Dr. Subramania Iyer, head of plastic and reconstructive surgery, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, who did the first hand transplant in the country, led a team of 25 surgeons and 12 anaesthetists in the third procedure. The surgery was performed on May 24.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Dr. Iyer said the reduction in disability by around 70 per cent, as achieved in the first two cases, may not be possible in the third case, as there was more muscle, bone and nerve connectivity. In the latest case, the expectation is around 50 per cent, he said.
“The challenge was to take the donated hands to the transplant centre in time to restore blood supply within five to six hours. This was possible with the help of those associated with the procedure like Little Flower Hospital, Angamaly, where the hands were harvested, the transport mechanism and the transplant team,” Dr. Iyer said.
Rehabilitation
However, it may take up to one-and-a-half years for Jith to be rehabilitated. Manu T.R., the first beneficiary of hand transplant, was also present at the press meet.
Jith lost his forearms in an accident in 2013
