A 29-year-old Swiss man has undergone a successful double hand transplant nearly 17 years after losing parts of his arms and legs due to a severe infection. Luka Krizanac initially received prosthetic hands, but the prosthetics had limitations and he still struggled with basic daily tasks. Then in 2016, he started working with doctors at Penn Medicine on a possible hand transplant.
After years of preparation and setbacks, last year Krizanac traveled to Philadelphia to await a suitable donor. A few weeks later, a match was found through the Gift of Life Donor Program. The 10-hour procedure, performed by a large team at Penn Medicine, was the hospital's first hand transplant surgery since 2019 and was described as a “medical marvel.”
Now recovering in Switzerland, Krizanac is undergoing ongoing physical therapy and slowly regaining function and sensation in his new hands. He shares that he can now perform tasks that were previously impossible, like eating with his hands, holding a cup, and using a smartphone. Reflecting on his journey, he calls the experience a “miracle,” and adds that he has a “deep feeling of being whole again as a human.”
