8-hour surgery at Rajiv Gandhi GH restores blood circulation in patient’s wrist

CHENNAI: Doctors at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital performed an 8-hour surgery on a 29-year-old man to restore blood circulation in his left wrist, which was severely injured in an accident at his workplace.

The patient was admitted to the Royapettah GH on February 5 at 11 am with a severe injury to his left wrist, which was cut by a wood-cutting machine. He was referred to RGGGH for further treatment.

Upon examination, it was found that the patient had a deep cut wound on his left wrist, measuring 8x3x3 cm. The wrist was cut from radial to ulnar artery, which supplies blood to the hand, wrist, and forearm, exposing the underlying cut tendons and muscles.

Doctors said that both ulnar and radial arteries were not palpable, and that there was no movement in the wrist or any of the fingers. All the fingers of his left hand had lost sensation.

An X-ray revealed that the wrist was fractured. The patient was taken to emergency surgery immediately after getting informed consent explaining the procedure and complications. Under general anaesthesia, a K-wire fixation of distal radius (wrist) fracture was done by the orthopaedic team. Both the ulnar and radial arteries were reconnected and repaired, and the wound was closed.

The patient was taken to the operation theatre within 30 minutes, and a team of surgeons from the plastic surgery and orthopaedic departments performed an 8-hour surgery to repair the damaged blood vessels, tendons, and nerves. The surgery was successful, and the patient’s fingers regained blood circulation.

A doctor from RGGGH said, “Repairing the damaged blood vessels is a complex procedure. After a multidisciplinary team performed the procedure, the patient is gradually recovering. He is under the close observation of the medical team, including dean Dr E Theranirajan, and others.”