Welcome

The Hand Transplant Program is a partnership of physicians and researchers at Jewish Hospital, Kleinert Kutz, and the University of Louisville. The group developed the pioneering hand transplant procedure and were the first surgeons to perform hand transplants in the United States. As of 2017, there have been approximately 100 hands transplanted on more than 60 patients around the world.

A hand transplant, unlike a solid organ transplant, involves multiple tissues (skin, muscle, tendon, bone, cartilage, fat, nerves and blood vessels) and is called vascularized composite allotransplantation, or VCA..

During a 17-hour procedure on September 17, 2016, Louella Aker underwent a double hand transplant at Jewish Hospital. The 69-year-old acquired an infection while involved in the cleanup of Henryville, Ind. after an EF4 tornado hit the area on March 2, 2012. Aker was later diagnosed with septicemia and underwent a bilateral, below-the-knee amputation on her legs, left forearm amputation, and right partial hand amputation. Aker was added to the organ donor registry on September 18, 2015.

“There are so many things you cannot do without your hands. This will change my life and allow me to do the things I miss, like holding my granddaughter’s hand,” said Aker."