Dubai: An Abu Dhabi police officer who almost lost his left hand in a vicious knife attack two years ago was able to regain its use after a sophisticated reconstruction surgery carried out in the capital two months ago.
Abdul Kareem Saeed, a first warrant officer at the Abu Dhabi Police Investigation Department, had his left hand almost severed from the wrist in a vicious knife attack two years ago and was rushed in for surgery at Mafraq Hospital. However, Saeed lost all sensation in his hand and couldn’t grip things even after the surgery.
Saeed visited hospital after hospital looking for a surgeon who could help him until he finally met Dr Timm Wolter, a cosmetic surgeon and hand reconstruction specialist at Mubadala’s health facility HealthPoint last month. Two months ago, in an eight-hour-long surgery, Dr Wolter reconstructed the tendons in Saeed’s hand, repaired his damaged nerves and succeeded in restoring movement in the hand.
Recalling the fateful day two years ago, the 35-year-old officer told Gulf News: “It was 6pm in the evening; it wasn’t very late and I had just finished my shift and was walking on a well-lit street and headed to meet a friend when this man viciously attacked me. We later learned that he was a mentally unstable drug addict who wanted to steal my phone to buy his fix. I tried to resist by holding his hand but he had a long sharp knife. He pulled my phone and brutally slashed at my wrist.”
The assailant inflicted several stab wounds on Saeed before fleeing the scene once the officer lost consciousness. Luckily several witnesses were able to summon help, and Saeed was transported to a local hospital within minutes.
When he awoke in the hospital later, the young officer was horrified to find out that the attack had almost cost him his left hand, which had been nearly severed and now hung barely attached to his wrist — having lost all functionality and rendered almost lifeless.
While Saeed’s stab wounds eventually healed, his hand had lost all movement. “I had lost most of my sensation and couldn’t move my hand. I used to always be in pain and visited several hospitals to redress the issue but most hospitals were wary of performing the complex surgery,” said Saeed.
Eventually, Saeed met specialist hand surgeon Dr Wolter who agreed to take up his case. “When Saeed came to me, I saw he had lost most of his functions in the left hand and was in great pain. The surgery I conducted to restore his microvascular functions as well as reconstruct of his severed tendons using harvests from his existing tendons is not rare but uncommon, especially here in the UAE,” Dr Wolter said.
The surgery involved several challenges for the doctor and his surgical team. “The operation was not without risk as there was only one [functional] blood vessel for the whole hand. Any complication would mean losing that blood vessel and the hand. But the surgery was medically necessary to restore the hand’s functionality and to alleviate his pain,” said Dr Wolter.
Dr Wolter and his surgical team performed three surgeries, as well as multiple tendon reconstructions and transplants, a process that involves harvesting healthy tendons and reconnecting severed ones to restore the movement and function of the hand.
“When tendon damage occurs, movement may be seriously limited and the damaged area may feel weak and painful. In Saeed’s case, it was extremely difficult to protect the surrounding tissue or blood vessels which could have resulted in complete loss of the hand,” said Dr Wolter.
The medical team also reconnected severed nerves and virtually rebuilt the officer’s wrist. “One thing I can say with confidence is that I provided the same level of expertise as Saeed could have had, had he travelled to Europe or US for the procedure.”
Since the surgery, Saeed has undergone intensive physiotherapy and continues to do rehabilitative exercises to retrain his hand and regain his grip. Although his recovery is likely to take over 12 weeks, Saeed is thrilled with the results of the surgery and is meticulous with his rehabilitation regimen. “I am able to drive and hold things like a can. I know I will never gain full use of the hand, but am happy that the pain is gone and I can feel my hand. My family is thrilled with my progress,” said the father of four who is back at work and has assumed a new role in his deparment.
