Chinese doctors perform surgery alongside Russian counterparts during Russia's first bilateral hand allotransplant procedure. Photo: courtesy of Ren Xiaoping

Doctors from a hospital in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region traveled to Russia and, in cooperation with local medical teams, successfully completed the country's first bilateral hand allotransplant surgery, the Global Times learned on Thursday from the leading Chinese doctor involved in the project.

On January 30, Ren Xiaoping, professor and director at Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine and its affiliated Ruikang Hospital received an urgent call from the Russian medical team, requesting technical guidance for the country's first bilateral hand allotransplant surgery and inviting Ren's team to take part in the operation, the Global Times learned from Ren.

Ren immediately convened his team to conduct preoperative consultations and make preparatory arrangements for departure.

On February 1, Ren and Russian specialists assembled in the operating room of the National Emergency Medical Center in Moscow. Following discussions of the surgical plan and confirmation of procedures, the four-member Guangxi team was divided into two groups of two, and surgery on the patient began simultaneously.

The operation ultimately lasted 13 hours, Ren said. It was highly complex and delicate, involving precise reconnection of bones, blood vessels, nerves and tendons, as well as intraoperative management of the patient's vital signs. 

At present, blood circulation in the transplanted hands is good, the patient's vital signs are stable, no obvious signs of rejection have been observed, and recovery is progressing as expected.

The Global Times learned that throughout the entire process — from responding to the Russian side's medical request, preoperative donor-recipient matching and surgical planning, to intraoperative procedures and postoperative monitoring — the Guangxi medical team provided continuous technical guidance and support.

At present, Professor Ren's team is working closely with Russian counterparts to develop a personalized postoperative rehabilitation plan, closely monitor the patient's recovery, and provide guidance on systematic functional training, making every effort to help the patient regain hand function and return to normal life.

This surgery marks another major breakthrough in the highly challenging field of composite tissue allotransplantation, following Ren's team's achievement with Russian counterparts in April 2025 that realized Russia's first-ever allotransplant hand surgery.