Apollo First Med Hospital performs complex finger replantation surgeries

Act fast in hand injuries, replantation surgeries are possible with advanced microsurgery techniques, raising awareness is crucial.

When Vijayan’s index finger was severed in an industrial accident, he made it a point to stay calm and act fast. Travelling in a two-wheeler, the 64-year-old man reached a hospital in 30 minutes, and after a surgery that lasted for 3.5 hours, the index finger of his left hand was replanted. While some quick thinking helped Mr. Vijayan, 78-year-old Karunakaran faced the unexpected when heavy rains hit Chennai on December 4, 2023. As winds blew hard, three of his fingers were cut as he tried to hold on the door of his house and was rushed to a hospital by his neighbours following which the fingers were replanted in a seven-hour-long surgery.

“Acting fast is important,” said Mr. Vijayan, while Mr. Karunakaran raised the importance of awareness among people in seeking medical help. It was doctors of Apollo First Med Hospital who performed replantation surgeries for them.

“Nearly 40 to 45% of all injuries to the body happen to the hands,” Sabari Girish Ambat, senior consultant, Plastic Surgery, Apollo First Med Hospital, told reporters on Tuesday. People suffer traumatic finger amputations in Road Traffic Accidents, industrial accidents, household accidents such as door crush injuries and washing machine injuries, and bike chain injuries.

While the doctors have been performing replantation surgeries for long, doctors said that they are now able to replant even the smallest of amputated parts such as finger tips that are injured due to advances in microsurgery. “This is due to the availability of good microscopes that give better magnification, and finer sutures,” he said. With microsurgical tools and super-microsurgical techniques, surgeons reconnect bones, tendons, nerves and blood vessels, restoring blood flow and ensuring hand functionality, a press release said.

In case of injury, the amputated part should be gently wrapped in a clean cloth or sterile gauze and placed in a plastic bag or sterile container. The part should be kept cool using crushed ice or ice packs but should never be in direct contact with ice to prevent tissue damage. The injured part should be elevated if possible, doctors said.

“Never forget to bring the amputated part, even the smallest bit, to the hospital,” he added. V. Purushothaman, senior consultant-plastic surgeon at the hospital, said the amputated part should be brought to the hospital within six hours. “The success rate for replantation depends on the nature of injury. For clean cuts, the success rate is 80 to 95%, while it comes down for crush injuries,” he said.