Brain dead man’s hand gives new lease of life to 22-year-old

Prathamesh Tawde lost his left hand in April 2021

In a generous move, the family of a 28-year-old Ahmedabad man, who met a bike accident that led to him becoming brain dead, donated his hand, paving the way for Prathamesh Tawde, a 22-year-old from Bhandup, to get a partial hand transplant surgery. The family of the donor, however, have chosen to remain anonymous. The Global Hospital successfully performed the transplant and supportive care was given to the patient, who is stable now. Tawde had severe functional disabilities due to lack of the left hand and an injured right hand with scars and stiffness.

Dr Nilesh Satbhai, senior consultant and head of plastic surgery at Global Hospital, said, "The recipient, Prathamesh Tawde, met with an accident at his workplace inside a tyre factory in April 2021. He lost his left hand above the wrist as it was amputated at distal forearm level. He also lost three fingers of his right hand (index, middle and ring fingers). In a case like this no surgery or reconstructive procedure is not possible and the hand cannot be made functional."

He explained, "Prosthetic hands cannot move like a normal hand and lack sensations, so an artificial hand is not an ideal solution for hand amputations. In this case or ones similar to these, a brain dead donor's hands can be transplanted for the suitable recipient after the blood group matches and cross matching was confirmed to ensure there is no significant reaction. With time as his bones heal and he undergoes physiotherapy, muscles and nerves will also recover, then he will be able to move and function like a normal hand."

"He also sustained burns over his forearms and thighs due to hot rubber fluid. The burnt parts did not require plastic surgery and those areas have now healed. He is in the ICU. He is conscious and is being monitored for the vascularity of hands. He is stable and responding well," added Dr Satbhai. Tawde was initially treated at a local hospital in Bhandup for three weeks. He registered for hand transplantation 2 months ago and was on the waiting list. The hands were flown from Ahmedabad to Mumbai in a charter flight on February 9 and the surgery, which took around 13 hours, took place on February 10.

Yogesh Tawde, brother of the recipient, said, "My cousin comes from an agricultural family and both his parents are farmers. He even has a younger sister who helps the family out. He is a young boy and his condition was such that we wondered if he would ever be able to work again. His family is financially weak but the company has offered to help out with expenses. With God's grace, he is better now. He was getting depressed. A young, hard-working boy like him does not deserve this." Talking about the donors he said, "The family of the donor and the donor are nothing less than gods for us. I only wish well for this supportive family that has helped my brother live again, when they lost their own."

13
Hours that the surgery required