Jeff Kepner, first double-hand transplant patient in US, wants them removed

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Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Jeff Kepner, 64, said he wants his prosthetics back because the transplanted hands have never worked.
Jeff Kepner, 64, said he wants his prosthetics back because the transplanted hands have never worked.
WLS-WLS

The first American to receive a double-hand transplant wants them removed.

Jeff Kepner, 64, said he wants his prosthetics back because the transplanted hands have never worked.

Kepner lost his hands in 1999 because of sepsis that started as a throat infection. He said he knew the operation was a risk, and it's a chance he took. But now wishes he had not done it.

Kepner's doctors said his case is unusual, and that other hand transplant recipients have experienced more success.

Even if Kepner ditches the hands, there is no guarantee he will be able to use prosthetics again.