Kasturba Hospital doctors replant severed arm

The Hand and Microsurgery Unit, Department of Orthopedics, Kasturba Hospital, led by unit head Dr Anil K Bhat, has successfully reattached the arm of a 30-year-old patient which was accidentally amputated at the workplace.

The patient’s arm was cut at the mid-arm level but the amputated part remained in a healthy condition as the patient was rushed to the hospital within hours after the accident. The patient’s relatives were informed about the options, including the possibility of ‘replantation’ and the subsequent risks that would arise after the three-hour surgery.

The replantation of the arm was completed by the team of Orthopaedic surgeons Dr Ashwath Acharya, Dr Naveen Mathai and Dr Siddarth Kamath under the guidance of Dr Anil K Bhat and anaesthesia support from Dr Manjunath Prabhu, Dr Arun Kumar and Dr Laxmi Shenoy. The doctors are planning a comprehensive rehabilitation programme for him.

Major replantation represents surgical rejoining of amputated extremities from the level above the wrist joint. Success in major replantation surgeries are rare as these amputated parts have to be reattached within the recommended time of six hours from the time of injury. Failure to join the limb within the “golden time” results in subsequent death of muscles.

“The muscles die as they do not sustain blood supply for more than three hours,” the doctors said. If the amputated part is preserved in a plastic bag surrounded by ice, the golden time can be extended by another three to four hours. This was done in case of the patient immediately on arrival and the restoration of blood supply with fixation of bones and muscles was completed within the critical time limit, Medical Superintendent in Kasturba Hospital, Dr Avinash Shetty said.