'Life-changer': Icelandic man gets world's first double arm-and-shoulder transplant

In a breakthrough, a 48-year old Icelandic man got the world’s first double-shoulder-and-arm transplant. He recovered after a complicated operation procedure earlier this month in the southeastern French city of Lyon. Doctors, however, were still sceptical over the complete mobility of Guðmundur Felix Grétarsson, who had lost both his arms in a tragic accident about two decades ago. Gretarrsson was given the world’s first double arm transplant at Edouard Herriot hospital in France, according to Icelandic newspaper, Morgunblaðið. 

According to the report in the local paper, the 48-year old underwent a nearly 14-hour operation, which was successful. Doctors, although, are waiting for Gretarsson’s full recovery to ascertain how his body responds to the first-ever double arm transplant operation. 20 years ago, the man had lost both arms when he was only 26 years old after he got a high voltage shock. The differently-abled Icelander moved to  Lyon in 2013 and waited for an opportunity to get the surgery. After five years of wait, Grétarsson was given new artificial arms using the advanced techniques at the Edouard Herriot hospital where more than 50 doctors and nurses were involved in the procedure. 

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Man stable and in ICU

Guðmundur’s condition is stable and he remains in the intensive care unit of the hospital until discharged by the doctors, 20minutes.fr reported. He had also been in touch with Professor Jean-Michel Dubernard, who in 1998 became the first-ever doctor in the world to perform a successful hand transplant on a patient. An orthopaedic surgeon who treated Guðmundur following the accident in 1998, told Iceland’s broadcaster mbl.is, that in his 40-year long career, he has never seen a patient as severely injured as Guðmundur.

As many as 54 operations have been performed on the Iceland man, however, the transplant will be revolutionary. Guðmundur’s father, Grétar Felix Felixson told the outlet that the coming days are extremely critical for his son’s recovery that will enhance his mobility. Everything looked promising when they began waking him up yesterday, he said, adding that his son was in intensive care and will remain so until doctors advised otherwise. 

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