~ The patient had a crush machine injury that lead to complete amputation of thumb till his knuckle

Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, a leading tertiary care hospital, successfully transplanted a man’s second toe to his amputated right thumb. The 36 – year – old Kharghar resident had lost his thumb in a crush machine injury. There was a complete amputation of his right thumb till his knuckle and was not re-plantable.

Dr. Vinod Vij, Consultant, Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, said, “At first, the patient refused the second toe to thumb transfer and opted for a groin flap cover instead. However, post-surgery, he was not happy with a bulk at the site of the operation. The groin flap cover was attached with a plan for lengthening the thumb at a later stage with bone grafting and a surgery to correct the resulting finger deformities with a Distractor. Finally, after the patient’s consent, the second toe was successfully transferred and has made a complete recovery with full range of thumb movements. The patient was discharged on post-operative day five, underwent physiotherapy for six weeks, and gained full range of movements.”