A team of plastic surgeons at AIIMS-Mangalalagiri reattached the amputated arm of a man who suffered a workplace accident through a successful transhumeral (mid-arm) amputation replantation procedure.
According to an AIIMS press release on Monday, this is said to be the first time such a microsurgery has been performed in the state. The 25-year-old patient, a native of Jharkhand, who works as a mill machine loading operator in a road construction company near Hanuman Junction, sustained severe crushing injuries to his left arm after it got caught in a tar machine on February 22. The patient was shifted to AIIMS the same day.
Considering the severity of the injury and the limited window for successful replantation, the patient was informed of the slim chances of surviving the limb. Despite the problems, the doctors decided to proceed with an emergency limb replantation.
In an eight-hour procedure, the team led by Shanthakumar Shivalingappa successfully reattached the amputated upper arm by reconstructing the major blood vessels, stabilizing the bone and repairing the muscles and soft tissues.
Five days after the initial surgery, the surgical wound on the arm was successfully covered with a skin graft. At a later stage, secondary procedures including nerve reconstruction and definitive bone fixation are planned.
The patient is currently stable and recovering in the ward.
Published – March 9, 2026 8:52 PM IST
