Doctors Perform Rare Surgery to Rebuild Man's Thumb Using Toe From His Amputated Leg

Doctors at a hospital successfully reconstructed the thumb of a man using the second toe from his amputated leg after a road accident. The team reused tissue from the non-salvageable limb, marking a rare and life-changing medical achievement.

Doctors of a hospital successfully reconstructed the thumb of a 20-year-old male, who sustained severe injuries in a road traffic accident involving a bike and a tractor, using the second toe from his amputated leg on Friday.

According to the hospital, this procedure not only restored hand function but also utilised tissues from the non-salvageable limb. 

Hospital on the surgery

"The patient suffered total amputation of his left leg below the knee and total amputation of left thumb. Upon arrival at the hospital, the trauma team acted swiftly. The amputated parts (left leg and thumb) were examined for reimplantation, but due to severe crush injuries, they were unsuitable for reimplantation (reattachment). In an extraordinary decision, the surgical team chose to use the second toe from the amputated leg to reconstruct the lost thumb, a procedure that not only restored hand function but also utilized tissue from the non-salvageable limb," the hospital said.. 

The complex microsurgical procedure was performed under Dr. Mahesh Mangal (Senior Consultant and Head of the Department of Plastic, Cosmetic and Hand Microsurgery), by his skilled team comprising Dr. Nikhil Jhunjhunwala (Consultant Hand and Microsurgeon), Dr. Arjun Krishna (DNB resident), and Dr. Rishika Bachani ( DNB resident).

Dr Mahesh Mangal further emphasised the importance of bringing the amputated parts, patients and relatives should always try and search for the amputated part at the trauma scene. “Timely, efficient transportation of the patient and the preserved amputated part to the reimplantation center is critical for survival and function.”

The hospital mentioned that it has performed over 700 reimplants of different body parts, "We have done more than 700 reimplants of different body parts like fingers, toes, penis, scalp, ear, upper limb, etc." 

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