Medica Group of Hospitals, the largest private hospital chain in Eastern India, performed a finger reimplantation surgery at the nail bed level on a 29-year-old male from Kolkata at its flagship facility, Medica Superspecialty Hospital.
The team of experienced doctors from the Plastic Surgery department and Medica’s critical care team joined together for this complex case. The team put in their combined efforts under the leadership of Dr. Akhilesh K Agarwal, Consultant, Department of Plastic Surgery, Medica Superspecialty Hospital, to achieve this momentous feat on August 14th, 2022.
Mr. S.M, a 29-year-old Graphic Designer in Kolkata, was admitted to Medica Superspecialty Hospital on August 14th at 4 p.m. He was taken to the hospital after being involved in an accident which resulted in the amputation of the distal part of his three fingers: the index, middle, and ring. He was readily admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment of his injury, which required the reimplantation of his fingers.
Dr. Akhilesh Kumar Agarwal operated, which lasted 6 hours. It is more difficult than other reimplantation surgeries because the vital structures at this distal level are small, and joining them back together is difficult and requires expertise. During the surgery, a wire held the bones of the finger in place, and blood vessels less than 0.5 mm in diameter were joined under a microscope. The nerves were joined under magnification, and the patient was monitored for nine days for any chances of vascular compromise.
Dr. Akhilesh Kumar Agarwal, who led the operation, said, “When he was brought to Medica for hospitalization, he was in great discomfort, and the reimplantation was the need of the hour. So far, the recovery has worked successfully. However, it will take around two months for the reimplanted fingers to fully recover, after which all his fingers will be functioning, and he will be able to do all his duties properly. We will decide whether or not to do corrective surgery later, based on his healing rate. Although reimplantation at this distal level is infrequently attempted, once the reimplanted organs work, the results are gratifying both in function and cosmesis.”
