The first double arm transplant in the world took place in Munich, at the University Clinic. The beneficiary was a German farmer, Karl Merk. He had lost his arms six years ago, in a combine harvester accident, and he never hoped of using hands again. He told the media that “it was really overwhelming when I saw that I had arms again.” The 54-year old could not believe that the transplant appeared to have been successful.

The recovery is going excellently and Merk can perform simple tasks, such as opening doors or turning lights on and off. He dreams of eating and dressing himself or riding a motorcycle. He now has to wear support straps on his lower arms with a sleeveless black t-shirt, one which shows exactly where his new arms have been grafted. Merk told the press that these are his arms, and he’s not giving them away again.

The operation was a complete success and involved a total of 40 surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and other support staff. It lasted for about 15 hours and took place on July 25-26. Karl has to undergo four to six more weeks of intensive program of physiotherapy, electric stimulation and psychological counseling. The possibility of Merk’s immune system rejecting the arms has not completely vanished, but there has been no sign that such a thing will happen. After the complete recovery, he will return home in order to live normally again.

The doctors were optimistic about his recovery, Dr. Hoehnke, one of the lead doctors, telling the media: “All in all, our wildest expectations have pretty much been fulfilled.” Furthermore, the doctors said that Merk is probably going to need another two years before he can fully learn to use his new arms.