- British newswire SWNS reported a woman will undergo a double-hand transplant after losing all four limbs.
- In 2017 the women developed sepsis, which caused her limbs to turn black and die.
A woman in the UK will undergo a double-hand transplant after losing all four limbs to sepsis in 2017, British newswire South West News Service reported.
Kim Smith went into sepsis after contracting a urinary tract infection while on vacation in Spain. SWNS reported that doctors put Smith in an induced coma for nine weeks, and the sepsis caused her legs and arms to go black and die completely.
The former hairdresser is on the waitlist for a double-hand transplant at Leeds General Infirmary, one of the few hospitals in the world that can successfully perform the procedure, SWNS reported.
Smith must complete a series of vaccinations to ensure she is immune to different types of diseases before undergoing surgery. She is awaiting chickenpox vaccinations, the last step before she can be operated.
"I could see that it was obvious that my limbs needed to be amputated," Smith told SWNS regarding her amputation. "When the doctor said it I just said 'Yes that's fine. Get it done.' I knew enough to see they were useless and that nothing else could be done."
SWNS reported Smith, who is 61 years old, hopes to regain the ability to cook and sew following the double-hand transplant.
Sepsis affects 1.7 million people a year, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sepsis occurs when the body decides to "shut off" by triggering organ failure and tissue damage instead of fighting off an infection via the immune system.
People over 65 years old or younger than one year old who have chronic diseases or are hospitalized are at a higher risk of developing sepsis. Former president Bill Clinton developed sepsis after contracting a UTI last year.
About a quarter of sepsis cases originate from the urinary tract, according to the National Institutes of Medicine. UTIs can happen due to tight clothing, poor bathroom or post-sex habits, or dehydration.