Miracle surgery restores livelihood

A carpenter who lost his thumb is ready to hold his tools again after doctors attach a harvested toe in place of his lost thumb What's a hand without the thumb? You can't hold a spoon or a pen, much less an implement. That was the frightening scenario carpenter Shyam Sundar was facing after his right hand thumb was amputated after it got crushed while cutting wood at his work place in Dubai six months ago. Minus the thumb, he would not be able to work as a carpenter surely. But surgeons at Yashoda Hospital gave him a fresh lease of life, after they harvested a toe from his left leg and attached it in place of the lost thumb. After a six-hour thumb reconstruction surgery in November, Shyam Sundar is now planning to go back to his job in Dubai. “The thumb functionality is restored by about 80 per cent. Shortly, Shyam Sundar will regain sensation on his thumb and he would grow nails also”, Surgeon K. Murali Mohan Reddy, who led the surgery team told a press conference here on Saturday. Specialists first identified structures at the base of the crushed thumb and decided to harvest the second toe from his left foot. The toe had to be removed with blood vessels, nerves and tendons. The harvested toe was attached in place of the lost thumb. On his left foot also, the surgeons reconstructed other fingers in such a way that the removed toe is not noticeable. “Reconstruction of an amputated thumb is a challenging surgery. It requires an advanced operation theatre and excellent microsurgery skills,” said Dr. Reddy. He pointed out that proper initial care, pre-operative planning, proper selection of suitable techniques and post-operative rehabilitation were important factors in such a surgery. “I was depressed after the accident. I almost lost hope of working as a carpenter again. But now I can work again,” Sundar smiled during his interaction with media persons. It's not just holding the carpenter's tools, Sundar can now give a firm handshake too.