India, April 27 -- A complex procedure and an act of generosity have enabled a young mother of two to undergo a bilateral hand transplant at a Delhi hospital after a brain-dead donor's family consented to donating the upper limbs, officials said.

The woman had lost both her hands in a chaff-cutting machine accident, they said. According to a statement issued by the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, this is the second such bilateral hand transplant performed at the facility.

The transplant offered the patient, who had been completely dependent on others for daily activities since the accident, a chance to regain functional independence after a suitable donor was identified.

The 12-hour surgery involved transplantation of both donor upper limbs - ...