Home > Hand/Arm Transplant > Potential Benefits

Potential Benefits

Dr. Dumanian, Chief of Plastic Surgery, gives examples of benefits of hand/arm transplantation.

Psychosocial Benefits

Emotional
- Hand/arm transplant recipients may feel emotional relief at feeling “normal,” or not being stared at.
Communication
- A recipient may regain the ability to shake hands, which can be meaningful when meeting new people or greeting family or friends.
- A recipient may gain the ability to “talk with their hands” and communicate using motions, gestures, signals, signs, or waves.
Intimacy
- A recipient may gain the ability to feel with their hand/arm.
- A recipient may show affection and intimacy through hand contact.
Social
- A recipient may feel less heightened awareness of how they are perceived, which is common among people with amputations.
- A hand/arm transplant may eliminate a recipient’s desire to hide the residual limb(s) from others.
- A recipient may gain more comfort in going out in public.
- A hand/arm transplant may help a recipient sense where their hand/arm is and how it moves through space (“proprioception”).
- A recipient may regain their ability to “look in my pocket,” or recognize objects with their fingers without needing to look at objects with their eyes.
Identity changes
- A recipient might experience certain feelings about integrating their new hands/arms into their body and identity. Such feelings may be about a recipient’s sense of wholeness and/or their sense of normalcy.

Mr. Pollock, a bilateral, upper limb transplant recipient (11 ½ years after transplantation), talks about what his hand transplants are like after having them for 11 years.

“

“Silly things that most people take for granted are hugely exciting for me. Last week I was at a dinner and dropped my napkin – but I was able to pick it up. I was all pleased with myself and was even looking around for praise. It felt great.”
- Corinne Hutton, 49-year-old female who received bilateral hand transplants in 2019

Dr. Scott Tintle, Chief of Hand Surgery, talks about treating military and civilian hand/arm transplant patients.

Returning to Work

After getting your hand/arm transplant, the rehabilitation and recovery process can be long and difficult. As shown by the success stories from hand/arm transplant recipients, your ability to do daily activities may increase over time. Such activities include eating, writing, grasping, shaving, dressing, and driving independently.^1,2 However, until function returns, hand therapy will be your full-time job. Therefore, your doctor may suggest that you wait a year or more after your transplant before returning to work.

“

“It just takes a second for you to lose something like your arm, and it takes a lifetime for it to come back.”
- Jeff Swedarsky, a 34-year-old man who received a hand/arm transplant in 2015

Returning to work after getting a hand/arm transplant can be challenging for some people due to both physical and emotional demands. Daily activities, such as eating and writing, can be especially challenging at the workplace while under additional stress. Some individuals may not be able to return to their previous occupation, depending on what type of work it involved. As a result, some hand/arm transplant recipients may find comfort in finding jobs that allow them to work from home to better meet their needs.

Still, some hand/arm transplant recipients are able to return to their previous occupation. For example, one hand/arm transplant recipient returned to his job as an accountant, began a new career as a lawyer, and is now independent in all his personal activities.³ Another hand/arm transplant recipient returned to his gutter installation business, where he uses his hand in manual labor.⁴ Whether you will be able to return to your previous occupation likely depends on hand functionality, your previous occupation, and your personal comfort level.

Mr. Pollock, a bilateral, upper limb transplant recipient (11 ½ years after transplantation), talks about jobs that he can do with his hand/arm transplants and the limitations.

Click Below for More Videos

Videos of Health Care Professionals

Joe Butkus, UE Transplant Occupational Therapist, talks about what patients look forward to after transplantation.

Dr. Scott Tintle, Chief of Hand Surgery, talks about the benefits of hand/arm transplantation for those who have been in the military.

References

Sources

Ninkovic M, Weissenbacher A, Gabl M, et al. Functional Outcome after Hand and Forearm Transplantation: What Can Be Achieved? Hand Clinics 2011;27(4):455-465.
Shores JT, Malek V, Lee WPA, Brandacher G. Outcomes after Hand and upper Extremity Transplantation. Journal of Materials Science Materials in Medicine 2017;28(5):72.
Iglesias M, Villanueva-Castro E, Macias-Gallardo J, et al. Bilateral Proximal Forearm Transplantation. Case Report at Seven Years. Official Journal of the Transplantation Society and International Liver Transplantation Society 2020;104(4):e90-e97.
Kaufman CL, Breidenbach W. World Experience After More Than a Decade of Clinical Hand Transplantation: Update from the Louisville Hand Transplant Program. Hand Clinics. 2011;27(4):417-421.

Back to top