A whole new life at his fingertips

Less than 24 hours later he was making medical history when he became the first patient in the UK to undergo a hand transplant.

He hopes the highly complex operation giving him a new right hand will give him back manual dexterity that most people take for granted following a series of illnesses which have already made him a veteran of the operating theatre.

But the transplant also opens up a new era of medicine in the UK more than 50 years since the first transplant operation of a kidney was carried out in Edinburgh.

And it is a further landmark in the proud history of advances in healthcare in Leeds where achievements have included the invention of the first clinical thermometer and the UK’s first kidney dialysis.

Mr Cahill, 51, a former pub landlord, of Greetland, near Halifax, first became troubled by gout 20 years ago and his health was further complicated by worsening arthritis.

Originally left handed, he 
had switched to using his right because of the arthritis but five years ago his gout became badly infected.

Surgeons were able to save his hands but his right hand became almost entirely useless.

On top of this, he suffered further problems when complications from the gout wrecked his spine, leaving him unable to walk. He underwent further operations – he says he has now gone under the knife so many times he has lost count – and can now walk again, although not very far.

He heard about plans by a team of experts in Leeds to carry out the first UK hand transplant which were announced in November 2011. But he felt he would not fit the criteria until he was encouraged to see consultant plastic surgeon Prof Simon Kay, a world-leading expert in his field.

“I didn’t think it was something for me,” he said. “I thought my hand was repairable but after seeing Prof Kay I realised it wasn’t.”

He said Prof Kay told him his hand was “absolutely shot” – but that he could be suitable for the hand transplant programme.

He underwent a series of checks including psychological assessments to ensure he was prepared for the implications of the transplant and went on the waiting list in November.

“I was thinking ‘Am I doing the right thing, am I not?’ he said.

“I didn’t think it would happen for months and put it to the back of my mind.”

But on Boxing Day the call came from the team at Leeds General Infirmary after a donor hand became available.

Two potential candidates were called in for tests and he was selected as the best tissue match for the donor limb.

The father-of-one said he was “very nervous” ahead of the operation on December 27 which took eight hours.

In an international first, his own hand was removed before surgeons re-attached the donor limb just below the wrist using the latest in intricate microvascular surgery.

He spent three days in a high- dependency bed before being transferred to his own room where he is continuing to recover from the operation.

He is now able to move his fingers although he has no feeling in his hand as yet - a reverse of the previous position where he could feel his hand but barely move his digits.

“It looks pretty good - it’s still quite swollen,” he said.

“It doesn’t feel strange. The only thing that is strange is seeing your fingers moving and not feeling anything. You’re telling it to do something and you don’t know why it’s doing it.”

His wife Sylvia, 47, said she supported his decision to have the transplant.

“I thought it was a really great opportunity to go for it. Knowing that his other hand is no good, it’s giving him a chance to use that hand better than the other. It’s brilliant.”

The couple are full of praise for the host of experts involved in his care. Mr Cahill said: “The medical team has been absolutely fantastic all the way through – everybody has been brilliant.”

Prof Kay said he was pleased with the operation.

“It’s gone well. It’s our first transplant and we put a lot of work into planning this.”

He praised the efforts of world-class immunology experts at the hospital as without them “this would be absolutely impossible”. He also paid tribute to hospital bosses in Leeds and staff from NHS Blood and Transplant.

He said he expected expertise in hand transplantation to improve considerably in coming years, adding: “I think it will be a good few years before we truly understand which patients benefit most and which are most appropriate for this procedure.”