A resident of Greater Noida, who works as an electrician, suffered a serious accident while cutting wood with a grinder machine at work. The machine slipped from his hand, resulting in his thumb being completely severed. Following the injury, the patient visited multiple hospitals, but due to the complexity of the case, treatment was declined. On the advice of an acquaintance, he was finally brought to Yatharth Hospital, Greater Noida, where timely and advanced medical intervention made successful treatment possible.
Explaining the case, Dr. Saurabh K. Gupta, Director & Head – Plastic, Aesthetic & Reconstructive Surgery, Yatharth Hospital, said that the first six hours after such an injury are considered the golden period, during which a severed body part can be reattached using microsurgery. This procedure involves identifying and reconnecting extremely fine nerves and blood vessels under a microscope. In this case, the most challenging part was reconnecting the blood vessels of the severed thumb to restore proper blood flow—a process known as microsurgical reconstruction.
Considering the urgency, the patient was immediately shifted to the operation theatre. A team of three plastic surgeons performed a complex microsurgical procedure lasting nearly 4.5 to 5 hours and successfully reattached the thumb. The patient is now stable and recovering well, and has expressed gratitude to the medical team.
Dr. Gupta added that while such accidents are common, timely medical attention can lead to successful outcomes even in severe cases. Advanced facilities like microsurgical reconstruction are available in very few hospitals, and Yatharth Hospital continues to make significant strides in this field.
