Timely intervention by able doctors helped a worker to regain his arm which he had lost in a gruesome accident. This complex and difficult surgery was performed by the doctors of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital on a migrant worker whose right arm was severed when he was working on a machine.

The worker who is just 21 years old is from Jharkhand and he fortunately regained the movement of his arm following a five-hour-long surgery.

Praising the team of doctors who performed the surgery, Veena George the State Health Minister congratulated the doctors for saving the patient’s life.

The unfortunate accident took place on November 9 when the bangle which the worker was wearing on his right hand got stuck in a moving machine. This resulted in his arm being severed while the connecting muscles and veins were also cut.

Arm reattachment surgery in such cases is not possible but keeping in mind the age of the patient, doctors went ahead to perform the surgery the same day. Doctors from different departments including plastic surgery, orthopaedics, and anaesthesia were part of the team. During the operation, the nerves, muscles and veins were reattached with the help of an operating microscope.

The doctors in the team were Dr. Kalesh Sadasivan, Dr. N.P. Lisha, Dr. S. R. Brinda, Dr. J.A. Charles, Dr. Thara Augustine, Dr. C. Athira (plastic surgery department); Dr. Shiju Majeed, Dr. Arjan, Dr. Druthish, Dr. P. Jithin, Dr. V. Jithin, Dr. Gokul (all from orthopaedics); and Dr. Anjana Menon and Dr. Athira (anaesthesia department).