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.

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