A 38-year-old male labourer in Chhattisgarh whose left wrist got cut by a wood cutter machine on September 25 has got his amputated hand back on his body, thanks to a seven-hour surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here.
The Bhanpuri resident was rushed to the hospital within 90 minutes of the horrific accident, with his family members bringing along the amputated hand which they had preserved in ice packs.
Doctors said the man, who was not identified by name, will be able to work normally again thanks to the timely medical intervention.
A team of plastic surgeons attended to him to replant the detached part.
The operation consumed seven long hours. Both the amputated part and stump were thoroughly cleaned and dissected to find out the critical anatomical structures before the surgery.
The team was led by Dr. Jiten Kumar Mishra, Head of the Department, plastic surgery, and included Dr. Shamendra Anand Sahu, plastic surgeon, Dr. Sudarshan, orthopedic surgeon, and plastic surgery residents Dr. Debendra Tripathy, Dr. Chandan Dey, Dr. Javed and residents Dr. Abi, Dr. Aparajita, Dr. Jalaz, Dr. Abhijit and Dr. Nikita.
According to Dr. Mishra, this is the first successful hand replantation undertaken at AIIMS, Raipur.
If the amputated part is properly preserved with ice packs without direct contact with ice, not crushed or mutilated as in sharp cuts, and when brought to the hospital within 6–8 hours of injury, a prompt attempt at replantation leads to a higher success rate, he said.
Prof. (Dr.) Ajai Singh, the Director of AIIMS Raipur, congratulated the surgeons.