Doctors at Lahore’s Children’s Hospital re-implant a five-year-old boy’s hands in a 10-hour-long operation
This has been declared the first case of its kind, as re-implantation of hands had not yet occurred in the country.
Pakistan made an exciting medical intervention as doctors at Lahore’s Children’s Hospital re-implanted a young boy’s hands in a 10-hour-long operation.
The complicated surgery took place after the young boy’s hands were severed by a spinning blade machine. It was performed at the hospital by a team of four relatively young pediatric plastic surgeons. The team was led by Dr. Aslam Rao and had Dr. Salman, Dr. Farhan Gohar, and Dr. Waseem Humayun.
This has been declared the first case of its kind, as re-implantation of hands had not yet occurred in the country. the doctors have claimed that this is the first one of its type in Asia, saying that the team didn’t find a case of re-implantation of two hands of an individual in any country on the continent.
The five-year-old boy was shifted to Okara District Headquarters Hospital after his hands were chopped off in a spinning blade machine at home. He was referred to Lahore’s Children’s Hospital and was shifted to the medical facility with the help of a Rescue 1122 ambulance with his hands preserved in an ice jar.
The surgeons also appreciated the timely action of the DHQ Hospital, saying that operations of such nature have more chances of being successful when a patient reaches a hospital within six hours.
While talking to a news source, Dr. Rao said that he and his team have developed the specialty at the hospital. His team was able to save the boy’s hands by grafting them on his arms after an intricate surgery. The five-year-old lost his hands a month back, and re-implanting them directly to the arms was risky as the tissues of the body were damaged.
Dr. Rao said that he got an emergency call from one of his junior colleagues, who said that a minor boy had arrived from Okara with served hands. The doctor immediately informed the surgeons who were to perform the procedure. His team made an all-out effort to connect major and invisible blood vessels to keep the tissues alive and ensure blood supply back to the hands.
The operation was carried out a month ago, but the patient was kept under observation to ensure the procedure was successful. The next phase of rehabilitation has started and the hands will start functioning completely in six to nine months. Dr. Rao said that his team has re-implanted hands of 50 children at his hospital during the last few years.
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