Talha, an eight-year-old boy from Nanded, Maharashtra wanted to play with his toys which were kept behind a cupboard. He was unaware of the big snake hiding behind it. As he put his hand to reach out to get his toy, the snake bit him. He was taken to local doctor, who treated him with anti-snake venom injection.
After few days it was noticed that his left hand was swollen due to cellulitis and he developed infection. The doctors suggested them that amputation is the only option; following which he was treated at a Government hospital in Mumbai.
The hand was saved, but the wound healing was delayed. No primary wound cover was provided and he developed a severe contracture and deformity of the left wrist and hand. His parents then brought him to Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Parel, to see if his hand could be made functional.
Dr Nilesh Satbhai, Plastic, Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgeon, at Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children said: “When the patient came to me, he was unable to perform any useful activities with his deformed left hand. The severe skin and muscle necrosis on the dorsal aspect of the left hand and forearm had resulted in gross functional and cosmetic deformity. We planned a surgery to correct the deformity, release the contracture and resurface the defect with a microvascular free tissue transfer. Microvascular surgery in children is complex and relatively uncommon. Hence it is only being performed at well-equipped tertiary care centres.”