Trauma Centre holds rare nerve surgery workshop

Brachial plexus is a bundle of nerves which are responsible for the movement of our hands. It has been found that these nerves are frequently injured due to road accidents, fall from heights or some form of assault. It can lead to a non-functional arm or extreme pain in certain parts of hands. As this injury is usually accompanied with other injuries like breaking of bones, tissues or ligaments, injury to these nerves remians unnoticed.

Most of the patients accept non-functionality of arms as a consequence of the mishap that coccureed.

Jai Prakash Narain Apex Trauma Centre (JPNATC) of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences is organising a workshop-cum-conference from December 19-21 to train neurosurgeons to perform the brachial plexus surgery.

The workshop is also spreading awareness among public and medical fraternity about the injury.

The early surgery (within four months of injury) produces good results. But majority of patients in India seek medical attention much later when the nerves are already degenerated, making surgical repair impossible.

In the workshop, the doctors are being trained on actual patients for the complex surgery. Patients are being operated with surgical stitches which are thinner than the human hair. This requires a high level of magnification during the operation. This requires sophisticated and costly instruments.

Lack of awareness

“Lack of awareness about this phenomenon is not the only reason why patients and their physicians or neurosurgeons don’t go for brachial plexus surgery. An added reason is that the facilities of operation are not available easily, more so in smaller towns and cities,” said a participant on condition of anonymity.

JPNATC has operated 200 patients in the last five years with a success rate of 60 per cent.