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Mumbai doctors perform a first-of-its-kind transplant surgery!

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India (Commonwealth Union)_A teenage girl underwent a rare hand transplant surgery in a Mumbai hospital. In a first-of-its-kind surgery, the girl with a birth defect known as congenital hand aplasia received a new hand. The 18-year-old teen named Samiya Mansuri from Bharuch in Gujarat became the first teen in India to receive this operation. Congenital anomalies are hand or finger abnormalities that have been there since birth.

Samiya’s right hand was not fully developed. Her forearm, wrist, and hand were retarded to a serious degree. She had tiny underdeveloped fingernail tips. Due to the malformation, all the blood vessels, muscles, bones, and nerves in her right hand were smaller than normal. Therefore, the surgical approach was much different and more intricate than for transplants following accidental amputations.

The procedure was conducted by a team of specialists headed by Dr. Nilesh Satbhai, Senior Consultant Plastic, Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgeon at Global Hospitals in Parel, Mumbai. Samiya’s forearm and hand were significantly underdeveloped. Samiya’s family made every effort to obtain a hand prosthetic for her, but nothing seemed to work in their favor. They traveled to many places, including Jaipur, in search of a hand prosthetic. However, they quickly concluded that a hand prosthesis could never provide her with a functional hand.

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The family then sought a hand transplant and approached Dr. Satbhai at Global Hospital. Following many counseling sessions, Dr. Satbhai and his colleagues decided to schedule Samiya’s transplant. They chose to wait until she reached 18 and was legally able to agree to surgery. Samiya was too happy on her eighteenth birthday when she became medically and legally qualified to be able to register for a hand transplant. The family of a 52-year-old lady from Indore miraculously came forward to donate an arm that Samiya could utilize. The adolescent was then shifted to Global Hospital immediately.

Dr. Satbai stated that this transplant was performed since the recipient was born without a hand. There are no reports of hand transplants for congenital lack of hands in the medical literature. The patient must be at least 18 years old in order to comprehend the intricacy of the procedure and provide informed consent. He further added that he was originally approached by Samiya’s family two years ago. She was determined and eager to undergo the transplant despite the intricacy of the procedure. However, she was enrolled for the transplant only when she reached 18 years of age.

According to Dr. Vivek Talaulikar, Chief Executive Officer at Global Hospital, this operation provides a ray of hope for those with congenital deformities awaiting a hand transplant. Moreover, Samiya’s tale will motivate donors to donate hands to recipients in order to improve their lives. Samiya is now doing her Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA). Following her BCA and MCA degrees, she hopes to become a police officer and serve in the cyber squad of the police.

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The teen’s mother Shenaz Mansuri said, “She kept smiling while entering the operation theater as her dream of having two normal hands was going to become a reality. Her brother has his class X exams, but I have decided to stay with Samiya as she needs me in the hospital. We thank the donor family, as the hand transplant wouldn’t have been possible without them. We are grateful and congratulate the doctors from Global Hospital for achieving this milestone”.

Samiya expressed delight over receiving a new hand. She said, “I am really very happy. I have to do a lot of things with my hand. A lot of things were going through my mind when I received the information that I will receive the hand. I even had dreams that I am doing a lot of things with my hand and even driving with my hand”. She added, “I used to face a lot of difficulties without my hand. When I was younger, my classmates used to tease me for not having a hand. I even avoided going to public places. Now, they will have nothing to say”.

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