New Delhi— In a remarkable feat of medical innovation, doctors at a Delhi hospital successfully reconstructed the thumb of a 20-year-old man using the second toe from his amputated leg after a severe road accident involving a bike and a tractor.
According to the hospital, the procedure not only restored the young patient’s hand function but also made effective use of tissues from his non-salvageable limb.
“The patient suffered a complete amputation of his left leg below the knee and the left thumb. When he arrived, our trauma team immediately assessed the amputated parts for reimplantation, but both were too damaged,” the hospital said in a statement. “In an extraordinary decision, the surgical team used the second toe from the amputated leg to reconstruct the thumb — restoring hand function and making use of tissue that would otherwise be lost.”
The complex microsurgical procedure was performed under the leadership of Dr. Mahesh Mangal, Senior Consultant and Head of the Department of Plastic, Cosmetic and Hand Microsurgery. His team included Dr. Nikhil Jhunjhunwala, Dr. Arjun Krishna, and Dr. Rishika Bachani.
Dr. Mangal highlighted the importance of preserving amputated parts after an accident, urging patients and bystanders to retrieve and transport them properly. “Timely and efficient transportation of both the patient and the amputated part to a reimplantation center is critical for survival and functional recovery,” he said.
The hospital added that it has successfully conducted over 700 reimplantation surgeries involving various body parts, including fingers, toes, ears, scalp, and upper limbs — a testament to its advanced trauma care and surgical expertise.
