It is impossible to give an estimate on waiting time. We have a list of patients waiting, but unlike most waiting lists, they don’t wait their turn. If a limb is offered for transplantation its compatibility both physically and immunologically is assessed immediately. Often it is only compatible with one of our patients and they then receive that limb. In some cases it has been less than a year, whilst in others up to six years. We recognise this uncertainty is very hard to deal with for some patients and our Clinical Psychology team continue to offer support during this process.
This varies in each individual case. It depends on whether one or two limbs are being transplanted and the level of transplant (arm or hand). Generally, a transplant will take between 8 to 16 hours.
After surgery, most patients will stay in hospital for 2 to 4 weeks. This is dependent on the level of transplant, post-operative recovery and the support they have at home.
Good outcomes have been experienced so far in most transplanted limbs. Patients can expect the limb to be able to feel touch, perform fine and coarse movement, be warm when touched and heal when injured. Some functions return quicker than others and complete function may take several years to develop. Individual outcomes can vary and depend on many factors.
For some, a prosthesis is the best option, and the Hand Transplant team includes specialists in prosthetics and rehabilitation. All patients considering transplantation must demonstrate that they have trialled a prosthetic option.
However, even bionic prostheses have severe limitations and compared to a well restored transplanted hand, do not achieve a comparable level of function. Prostheses do not require lifelong immunosuppression though as a transplant does and so the balance between these options is something we help our patients to consider objectively.
No. All patients have a right to a confidentiality of their medical record. This includes deceased donors and their families. Hence, those receiving a transplant will not ordinarily know the identity of the donor or their family. Should a transplant recipient wish to contact the family of their donor, this can be facilitated through NHS Blood and Transplant as intermediaries.
Yes. The patient will be asked to specify the characteristics of a limb (gender, size, age, skin colour) that they feel would be suitable for them. The patient will not be able to see the donor limb prior to transplant but it will match the criteria that they specified. A patient may not however exclude limbs based on characteristics other than the physical characteristics of the donor (for example their religious beliefs or occupation, etc).
The surgery, post-operative care and initial rehabilitation will be performed at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. It is expected that the patient will return to their own home following discharge from hospital. The patient will be expected to return to Leeds for regular monitoring and medical follow-up.
Rehabilitation is an extremely important part of recovery and the patient will need to work very hard to make sure that their new hand(s) function as they would want them to. Occupational and physiotherapy will start straight after surgery whilst they are an inpatient. After the patient leaves hospital, therapy can either continue in Leeds or at their local hand or plastic surgery department.