A Scottish woman is to become the first person in the UK to have a double hand transplant, BBC Scotland can reveal.
Corinne Hutton had her hands and feet amputated last summer after a pneumonia infection led to blood poisoning.
She will become the second person in the UK to have a hand transplant, and the first to have both hands replaced.
Prof Simon Kay, who will lead the surgical team at Leeds General Infirmary, said: “I think the result will be exceptional.”
Corinne, from Renfrewshire, lost her hands and feet last summer following a Streptococcus A infection, which caused pneumonia and sepsis.
Skin from the donor’s forearms will also be retained and used to cover up extensive scarring on Corinne’s arms, in an operation which will involve four surgical teams.
Corinne has undergone psychological testing as well as tissue testing ahead of her operation. Although the transplant team will try to find a good match, her new hands will always look different.
Stranger’s hands Doctors want to make sure she is psychologically strong enough to cope with seeing a stranger’s hands at the end of her arms.
“I’ve been told that it’s psychologically tough,” said Corinne. “I like to think that I’d be grateful to whoever had given me those hands.
