Case History

In 1977, Donald McKillop underwent an amputation of his right hand due to complications from an accident some nine years prior. After some basic rehabilitation, he was quickly fitted with a body-powered prosthesis so he could begin working again as a welder.

The initial prosthesis was a full-torso harness with a body-powered prosthesis incorporated into it. This solution was not well suited to physical work and so he was moved onto a self-suspending socket for his prosthesis, which worked better for him.

“You have to get on with your life, you can’t go on thinking that you’ll wake up the next morning and your hand has started to grow back,” said Mr. McKillop. “I’m always a positive person, of course there are frustrations, but you can always find ways to do things.”

The developments in his life caused him to take an interest in the development of prosthesis and Mr. McKillop became involved with The National Centre for Training and Education in Prosthetics and Orthotics at the University of Strathclyde. For the past 30 years, he has been a willing participant in the research activities of the Centre, and it was this connection that first brought him into contact with Touch Bionics.

In 2006, Mr. McKillop was one of the first patients to be fitted with Touch Bionics’ i-LIMB Hand. He immediately experienced the benefits.

“I was amazed by how quickly I could learn to do things with the i-LIMB Hand, even only an hour after being fitted with the hand and being talked through some basic exercises,” said Mr. McKillop. “The most important thing is the movement of the fingers, that’s what really makes the difference. It’s truly incredible to see the fingers moving and gripping around objects that I haven’t been able to pick up before. The hand does feel like a replacement for my missing hand and it is now very natural for me to pick up all sorts of objects. It makes everyday activities much easier.”

Since being fitted with the i-LIMB Hand, Mr. McKillop is now able to do things for which previously he was restricted to using his remaining hand. A keen hobbyist, he was delighted to be able to hold a saw in the normal way for his woodworking projects and it is clear his everyday life has been markedly improved. Donald has been working in the garden with his new hand and is making great progress.

“I was in the kitchen doing cooking the other day and I was so much more confident in picking up pots and pans and using the cooker. As time goes by, I’ll get even better at using the hand, but I’m really pleased with the progress I have made already,” he said. “If you gave someone this hand for a month and then gave them back their old device, they would be very disappointed.”

A wide selection of print and web quality images are downloadable from the Patient Picture Gallery.

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