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HEALTH
WA+CH
Resurrection
of Limbs
A
new technique makes it possible to avoid amputation of limbs after serious
injuries
It
was supposed to have been a family occasion. Ram Gupta, in his 30s, was
seeing off his family at the New Delhi railway station when tragedy struck.
He slipped and his lower body was crushed between a train and the platform.
Prospects of a paraplegic existence loomed large. But 15 days later, there
was optimism. His entire lower body was restructured and is now healing.
Doctors at Delhi's Ganga Ram Hospital say he should eventually be able
to get around with a walking stick. "I have been given a second chance
in life," says Gupta.
Thanks to
the combined efforts of orthopaedic and plastic surgeons, mutilated limbs-with
broken bones and no skin-can now be proficiently repaired to a more-than-passable
level by a technique called the 'External Fixator with Skin Flap Rotation'.
This facility is available in India in hospitals that have trauma centres.
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| Illustrations
by Nilanjan Das |
The first
step in the repair process is the aligning of all the bits of bones-the
pieces are joined together with the help of stainless steel screws that
have external attachments. Once the bones are in place and provide the
structure, skin is grafted on it by surgeons. An advancement called "vascularised
graft" makes it possible to graft blood vessels with the skin. Blood
can thus flow and bring the limb alive. The process can take several hours,
but the result is a reasonably good working limb, says orthopaedic surgeon
S.B. Mandal of Ganga Ram Hospital. Hinges fitted on the joints facilitate
flexibility and the leg can be bent like a normal one.
Timing is
critical for saving the limb. The operation has to be carried out when
the blood vessels and muscles are still viable, which is within eight
hours after the accident. Says Mandal: "Depending on the amount of
injury, the success rate varies. But if the patient comes in time to the
proper place with modern equipment and doctors, his chances of recovery
are high."
The procedure,
however, is not inexpensive. Though the fixators cost only Rs 2,000-3,000,
the total hospitalisation charges could be at least Rs 10,000, according
to Mandal. But for the victims brought in for this procedure, this is
a small price to pay for regaining the use of the limbs. Sixty-year-old
Sarita was knocked down outside her house and dragged for several metres
by a car whose learner-driver did not know the difference between the
accelerator and brake. A week later, she can move her screwed-on leg.
She considers her recovery a miracle. For her contented doctors though,
it is just an innovative technique at work.
Supriya Bezbaruah
Hic Hic
Hurray: Oh, oh. Hiccups
again? Won't stop with water, or slapping on the back? Well, how about
trying out a painkiller. The solution is simple and it actually works.
It has been successfully used by Italian physicians. It was tested on
patients who hiccuped for two days continuously, and conventional methods
of treatment proved futile. Ten milliigram doses of the painkiller Nefopam
did the trick. This painkiller is chemically similar to antihistamines,
which stop allergies, so it may work with a similar mechanism in hiccups.
A painless solution.
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Stressful
Friends
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| Friends,
according to a report in the International Journal of Behavioural
Medicine, only exacerbate stress. Stress levels of 40 young women
were measured. All showed increased levels of cholesterol in the blood,
but those with friends to advise them had levels more than three times
higher than those who coped on their own. Best friends, it seems,
can be stress friends.
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Blood
Glucose: Blood glucose levels,
reports the British Medical
Journal,
is an accurate early indicator of the risk of a heart attack later in
life. The general health report of 4,000 men revealed that the risk increased
with increasing glucose levels. The lowest rates of death were in men
with glucose levels lower than 5 per cent in the blood. This is significant-it
means that lowering blood glucose levels by just 0.1-0.2 per cent through
simple lifestyle changes can reduce total mortality by 5-10 per cent.
Keep track of blood test reports next time-it could save your life.
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METRO TODAY
