Doctors have declared the first double hand transplant a groundbreaking success 18 months after the surgery on a ten-year-old child who is now able to write, feed and dress himself.

The first official medical update on 10-year Zion Harvey was provided in a report in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. The surgery to replace both hands was performed on the child in July 2015.

The operation was performed at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Doctor Sandra Amaral said that the child is now more independent and able to complete day-to-day activities

Harvey was only two years old when his hands and feet were amputated following a sepsis infection. He has shown continuous improvement after the surgery.

Daily he undergoes therapy to increase his hand function. He is also getting psychosocial support to face the ongoing demands of his surgery.

In July 2015, donor hands from a deceased child became available to him. Harvey realized that he could move his fingers within days of his surgery. In around six months, nerve regrowth enabled him to move the transplanted hand muscles and feel touch. He also could feed himself and hold a pen to write. Within a year he could swing a baseball bat with both hands.