Results mixed for early hand transplants

something Dr. Lee also took note of.

“Mr. Pollock’s dedication and diligence, as well as close communication with his care team, have been important factors in his excellent outcome,” Dr. Lee wrote in an email.

As for Mr. Kepner, UPMC, which is still consulting with him, believes he could still help himself make better use of his transplanted hands.

“We have suggested several options for Mr. Kepner, including the use of assist devices or splints that could be worn over the transplants to improve basic functionality. We also believe that additional, minor surgical procedures — and commitment to more physical therapy — could improve the function of his hands,” Vijay Gorantla, administrative director of UPMC’s Reconstructive Transplant Program, said in emailed response to questions.

But Mr. Kepner says he is tired of surgeries and he believes he knows the kind of surgery they are referring to — cleaning out the scar tissue in his hands — and it did not help much before, either.

He gets some use out of his right hand by wearing a splint on it that creates a hook. That allows him to use his otherwise immobile hand to at least push down and pull up his shorts when he uses the bathroom, push buttons on a phone and operate the TV remote control.

“The only time I get really, really frustrated is when I can’t do something; when I see a simple thing that needs to be fixed, a vacuum or a light bulb or something,” he said. “Everything has to be done by my wife or daughter. I can watch TV or talk on the phone, but that gets old fast.”

His case was complicated by a decision made by doctors mid-surgery, he said, to take off several more inches of his right arm to make the transplant work. Losing those extra inches makes removing the transplants and going back to prosthetics difficult if not impossible, he said UPMC told him. UPMC said there were no complications during his surgery.

But Mr. Kepner said it leaves him with the only option he believes he has: “To keep these hands; it’s better than having nothing there.”

Looking back at his decision to pursue surgery in 2009, he said: “If they had told me [he might not be able to go back to prosthetics] I’m not sure I would have done it.”