May 5, 2009

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The first U.S. double hand transplant has been completed at a Pittsburgh hospital.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports surgeons successfully completed the surgery on Jeff Kepner of Augusta. He was in recovery Tuesday morning after a surgery that began at 8 a.m. Monday and lasted for hours.

This is the second hand transplant in two months at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. There have been six single hand transplants in the United States.

The 57-year-old Kepner is a native of Lancaster, Pa. He told the Sunday News of Lancaster he looks forward to holding his 13-year-old daughter, who was 3 when he lost his hands and feet to a bacterial infection.

Eight double hand transplants have been performed abroad. Last month French physicians performed the world's first simultaneous partial face and double hand transplant.

Surgeons at the Pittsburgh hospital recently transplanted a hand onto a Marine who was hurt in a training accident.

If you would like to help the family, you can send the donations to Burns Memorial United Methodist Church, 2372 Lumpkin Road, Augusta, GA 30906. Just make them out to the Jeff Kepner Hand Transplant Fund.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)