Dubai: In a landmark microsurgery, doctors at Rashid Hospital reattached the arm of a Pakistani worker from below the shoulder, officials of the Dubai Health Authority said.
The worker suffered a horrific industrial injury on October 9 but timely surgical intervention saved his arm.
The procedure required a multi-disciplinary team of doctors from Rashid Hospital in the vascular, hand surgery and trauma fields, who successfully reattached the arm during an eight-hour surgery.
Dr Deena Al Qudra, head of the vascular surgery unit at Rashid Hospital, said: “The young man arrived at the trauma section on October 9, along with his right arm, which was completely amputated right below the shoulder. After evaluating his case, the team of doctors decided to reattach his arm despite the severity of his case to give him a chance of leading a normal life.”
The team that conducted the surgery consisted of Dr Masoud Shafiei, senior vascular surgery specialist, and Dr Mohammad Sadeeq, vascular surgery consultant, who reattached the blood vessels of the patient’s arm. Meanwhile, Dr Khalid Al Awadi, consultant hand surgeon, reattached the hand and nerves while Dr Bilal Al Yafawi, trauma consultant, reattached the patient’s bone.
The patient is reported to be doing well.
Dr Al Qudra said the patient is currently undergoing physiotherapy and is being monitored to ensure that he does not suffer from infection. “The mobility of the arm will take a long time to resume but physiotherapy will help regain all the functions. Reattaching the arm will help the patient psychologically cope with the accident and lead a normal life, especially given his young age,” she said. Dr Al Qudra said while Rashid Hospital’s trauma section receives many complicated vascular and trauma emergency cases, amputation cases of upper limbs such as hands and arms are rare.
“Conducting such a complex emergency surgery would not have been possible without the group effort and expertise of Rashid Hospital doctors from different fields,” she added.
