After 8-hour surgery, docs fix man's severed arm

Doctors fixed back the severed arm of a 35-year-old man after an eight-hour marathon surgery on Friday.

Ravi Kumar's left forearm was sliced in a sickle attack on Thursday in Arkunda village in Gauribidanur taluk of Chikkaballapur district. He was rushed to Hosmat Hospital with severe blood loss.

"His (severed) arm arrived 15 minutes after he was brought in the morning," said Dr Thomas Chandy, Chief Of Orthopedics and CMD, Hosmat Hospital, adding that the procedure was long-drawn-out since the bones had to be reattached.

"We need to observe the blood circulation in the arm for a week. The nerve will take a year to revive,"
Dr Chandy said.

Microvascular and reconstructive Surgeon Dr Deepu said tendons, arteries, nerves and muscles of the severed arm were reconstructed with a special operative microscope, while the crushed bones were fixed using plates and screws.

As Kumar convalesces in the Intensive Care Unit, blood circulation to his arm has been restored.

Dr Chandy said the team of doctors was able to restore the man's arm as he was brought in within three hours of the incident.