Bhubaneswar: Doctors at the Kalinga Hospital have now successfully conducted a rare surgery on a road accident victim to revive his lost forearm after it was amputated by a passing truck.
A team of doctors conducted the surgery on 24-year-old, a lorry driver hailing from Midnapur of West Bengal who was passing from Odisha through the National Highway. It is said that the driver kept his hand outside his vehicle window and his hand was cut apart after a speeding truck hit his hand.
Doctors said that the patient lost his golden hours (6hours-8hours) and arrived late in the hospital. His amputated hand was also not preserved properly for re-implantation. The doctors who treated them mentioned, in such conditions the survival rates are very low as per medical records across the world.
“Worldwide medical literature suggests that the success rate of surgeries done in late re-implantation and without preserved part is as low as 2 percent-3 percent. It was a rare and peculiar surgery but we were successful in doing this. The patient is doing well and it has been more than 36 days. His amputated hand after re-implantation has been working well and wounds have healed,” said Dr Akshay Rout, Senior Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kalinga Hospital.
Talking about the challenge involved in the rare surgery, Dr Rout said, “In such conditions it is tough to do the re-implantation due to damaged muscles and devitalization of the amputated part. The muscles can release toxins which could prove hazardous to the patient. Since the patient lost the golden hour (6-8 hours of preservation) and arrived late in hospital. It was very challenging,”
A team of doctors including Dr Rout, Dr Gayadhar Behera, orthopedic surgeon and others led the rare surgery. The incident occurred on June 1 at 7pm on the national highway. He was given first aid at a nearby hospital and later shifted to Kalinga Hospital for further treatment.
Dr Gayadhar Behera, Orthopedic surgeon involved in the surgery said, “In the surgery from the orthopedic point of view we gave an electric nail from inside and supported it with rod externally to ensure the segregated bones join. X-ray shows progress. Within 6-8 weeks we get a better picture of unison of the bones. If needed we do another surgery for better cohesion of the broken bones after four months in such cases.”
The doctors team said that despite the fact the Midnapur is an identified hotspot for COVID 19, the doctors went on to operate on the patient to save his limb and life. The hospital said that despite the COVID 19 threat, the doctor decided to revive the patient and his hand otherwise delay could have led to serious complications for the patient.
In the surgery, Dr Rout’s work was related to identifying the blood vessels and other parts of the hand and reconnecting them which was needed to revive the lost hand while Dr Behera worked to take care of the joining the broken bones.
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