Chennai: Stanley hospital shines in reconstruction surgery

Chennai: A year ago, Stanley medical hospital was in the news for giving a new lease of life to a double amputee, by conducting a successful double hand transplant surgery on him.

In February 2018, Narayanasamy underwent a 13-hour surgery at Stanley Hospital when doctors reconstructed his hands - below the elbows, with a pair of hands donated by a brain dead accident victim.

The success story of Stanley Hospital seems to continue with over 6,500 patients treated in the past two years for hand injuries. These surgeries which cost around Rs. 4 lakh in private hospitals, are done free of cost here, which makes it affordable for people from economically-challenged backgrounds.

"Around 10 patients, who sustained cut injuries on their thumbs have undergone thumb reconstruction surgery in the past two years at the Stanley Medical Hospital.

Around 15 people with amputated thumbs were given prompt treatment by removal of their second toe and attaching it to the severed part of their thumb by microsurgical procedures.

"As many as 25 patients with amputated other fingers too, have been successfully treated here," said Dr. K. Bhoopathi, Professor and Head of Department of Hand Surgery and Plastic Surgery, Stanley Medical College and Hospital, Chennai.

"These surgeries are performed by a team of expert doctors and usually takes around 10-12 hours to complete," he added.

Most of the patients regain their fully functional thumbs in a period of six months to one year. They are also given routine check-ups and physiotherapy after the surgery to restore fully functional limbs.

The re-plantation surgery is most likely to be successful if the amputated part is brought to the hospital within a six hour period from the time of accident. It is also extremely important to wash the amputated part with clean water, cover it with clean cotton linen and place it in an ice cube filled polythene bag, while it is brought for surgery.

The Institute for research and rehabilitation of hand and department of plastic surgery, Stanley Hospital, was inaugurated on January 26, 1971, with just 20 beds in a ward measuring nine-feet by 21 feet. Today, it performs 10,000 surgeries on an average annually, with people from all over the nation coming here for hand surgeries.