The chopped off-hand of a Punjab Police officer has been successfully re-implanted after hours of surgery.
Anastomosis is a general term in surgical sciences used to join amputated limbs or organs. The term has made headline due to its recent application. A piece of general information regarding novelties of medical sciences should be known to the aspirants.
Anastomosis Surgery
- A surgical Anastomosis is a surgical technique used to make a new connection between two body structures that carry fluid, such as blood vessels or bowel.
- It involves conjoining various parts of the arm and the hand — bones, muscles, tendons, arteries, veins as well as nerves.
- Both radial and ulnar arteries, accompanying nerves and the dorsal vein were anastomosed successfully, allowing for the hand to receive adequate circulation.
- The bones are attached using K wires (used for orthopaedic surgery) which can be removed once the bones conjoin organically.
In which cases is re-implantation possible?
- When a surgeon makes that decision, the factors that he or she considers include how much time has elapsed since the injury.
- The condition of the severed organ and the nature of the injury are also taken into account.
Can a reattached hand get its function restored?
- That is the goal of doing such surgery. The extent of restored function, however, can vary from case to case.
- While a successful surgery can result in the good return of motor function, studies have shown that sensory recovery can often be poor.
- Whether the blood circulation is optimum after surgery can only be observed within the next few days.
- The patient also needs to attend regular physiotherapy sessions for total restoration of motor movement and sensation in his hand.
