A Georgia man has become the first person in the U.S. to undergo a double hand transplant. A University of Pittsburgh Medical Center spokeswoman says 57-year-old Jeff Kepner is in stable condition following the daylong surgery that finished Monday night. Kepner is a native of Lancaster, Pa., who lives in Augusta, Ga. He lost his hands and feet to a bacterial infection. In March, UPMC performed its first hand transplant on a Marine who lost his right hand when a quarter-stick of dynamite blew up in his hand during a training exercise in Quantico, Va. Eight double hand transplants have been performed abroad. Last month, French physicians performed the world's first simultaneous partial face and double hand transplant.
(Associated Press)
