In a groundbreaking surgery at the national referral hospital, an Indian labourer had his left arm successfully reattached following a gruelling 10-hour operation last week. This marks the first time the hospital has performed such a procedure. The Indian worker, who bravely carried his severed forearm to the hospital, not only saved his limb but also set a new milestone for reattachment surgery in Bhutan.
A week after the surgery, 49-year-old Mohammad Paiyo has regained his left arm’s sensory functions.
This is something that he had least expected when his forearm was entirely cut off by a mechanical saw at a sawmill in Paro.
Due to his traditional beliefs and to test his fate, he took his amputated arm to Paro Hospital, which later sent him to the national referral hospital.
“The doctors are checking on me on time. Even my employer is supporting me and he says he would provide whatever I need and told me not to worry. Right now, I am healthy and I can move my hand a bit. ”
According to a doctor from the national referral hospital, Paiyo’s finger movements show that the surgery is successful. He will have to undergo further rehabilitation to fully recover.
The doctor said a removed limb can be reattached within six hours in major traumatic amputation.
Moreover, it can be reattached within 12 hours if the amputated limb is preserved inside a plastic bag in a cold box. Paiyo’s surgery was performed four hours after the accident.
“It involves microsurgical skills and techniques. It is done along with orthopaedic colleagues who were there and who would fix the bone first. Then plastic and reconstructive surgery takes over, connecting the amputated soft tissues including arteries, veins, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, and finally, cover with the skin to reattach the epidermis,” said Dr Sonam Jamtsho, a general surgeon at the JDWNRH.
He added that since replantation involves a multidisciplinary team, the surgery was only possible because of the newly established plastic and reconstructive unit.
He said that such surgeries cost about two to three hundred thousand in countries such as India excluding rehabilitation costs.
Today, Paiyo is a lucky person, but it will take three to four weeks for him to regain his physical abilities.
This case highlights that as long as the amputated limbs are preserved, such surgeries can now be conducted at the national referral hospital.
Singye Dema
Edited by Kipchu
