Zydus Hospital, Ahmedabad's Surgeons Reattach Toddler's Severed Fingers in a 12-Hour Race Against Time

AHMEDABAD, India, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hand and limb trauma remains one of the most time-sensitive emergencies. Unlike many surgeries that allow for observation and planning, traumatic amputations and crush injuries operate on a strict biological clock as the tissues that are deprived of blood supply for too long cannot be saved. Correct handling of the amputated part in the first few minutes makes a critical difference to the outcome. Transported appropriately, the amputated part stands the best chance of being successfully reattached. This is particularly true in children, whose smaller anatomical structures make every step of the process more delicate and less forgiving of delay.

A successful replantation and reconstruction surgery call for a multi-disciplinary coordinated team. Zydus Hospital has carved a niche in reconstruction and replant surgeries in Ahmedabad. Not only do they have an incredible team of skillful reconstructive microsurgeons, but they also have all the ancillary services that are integral to running a leading quaternary centre in limb salvage surgeries in Ahmedabad, also specialising in pediatric finger reimplantation surgery in Gujarat.

In one recent case, a 3-year-old boy was rushed to the Zydus ER with a catastrophic injury. While playing in his backyard, his fingers got caught in a tractor. Unable to fathom what had happened, he was inconsolable. His parents found all four fingers were severed, having been caught up in a tractor engine's belt. Distraught, they took him to a nearby hospital but hailing from a remote farming settlement in Mansa Taluka, Gandhinagar district, the local doctors did not have the means to treat such a complex case so they suggested the parents to take the kid to Zydus Hospitals and they reached the ER around Sunday noon. Here, the child was placed under the care of Dr. Raghuvir Solanki and Dr. Jatin Bhojani, Onco-Reconstructive & Microvascular Surgeons, and their team who specialise in reattachment or re-implant surgeries in Ahmedabad.

"In replant surgeries time is of the utmost importance. Thankfully, the amputated fingers were brought to us in a bag submerged in ice which helped preserve the digits during the transit," said Dr. Jatin Bhojani. "The surgery had to be completed within 12 hours of the injury to get successful outcomes. The relevant departments are alerted the moment such a case arrives, to cut down on any delay. Our emergency team, on duty round the clock, play a critical role in stabilising the patient and looping in the reconstructive surgery, anesthesia and OT teams within minutes of arrival. We're glad to work in a setting where every relevant discipline can move in cohesion," said Dr. Jatin.

Having performed several such complex, high-risk surgeries like traumatic finger amputation, limb trauma in Ahmedabad and across, Dr. Raghuvir Solanki, Sr. Onco-Reconstructive and Microsurgeon adds, "We approached this with a two-stage treatment plan. Before the patient was taken into the OT, the amputated fingers were prepped and the cut arteries, veins, neurovascular bundle, and connective tissues were carefully marked and prepped under a surgical microscope. Completing this step is crucial to reduce the cold ischemia time (the period from when the organ is removed from cold storage (ice) to when blood flow is restored by opening the vascular clamps). Our goal was to stabilise him and get him to surgery right away."

"The surgery began on a Sunday evening at around 5 p.m. and continued until the wee hours, ending well past 2 AM. The surgeons painstakingly reattached each bone, tendon, artery, vein, and nerve bundles. Given his age, the blood vessels were barely 0.5 mm in diameter, and required extraordinary precision under high-powered microscopes," he added.

"This was particularly a special case. He was the couple's second child. They had lost their first child in an accident, and after years of trying they were finally able to conceive him. Understandably, they were devastated at the thought of losing another child so soon after everything they had already been through," both doctors narrated. Given the family's history and financial circumstances, the hospital came forward to reduce a significant portion of the treatment cost. "We had operated on a similar case few years back, the child was 1.5-year-old at the time. Both her feet had been caught up in a tractor and she needed nearly 20 days of intensive medical care and dressing to ensure proper vascularity after the reconstruction surgery. We were happy to see her recover well during her follow-ups at the hospital," Dr. Jatin Bhojani added.

"Some years back, we had encountered a similar case where a young man had met with a road accident that had severed both his legs completely. He came to us in an extremely critical condition and a large team of surgeons not only successfully replanted both his legs but also successfully joined all the severed vessels and nerve bundles in a 15-hour surgery. It took him six months to recover fully. We were all delighted to see him dancing to the tunes of garba, and see him get back to normalcy so soon. That was a true milestone for us as well. We have performed several breast cancer and head-and-neck reconstruction surgeries for cancer patients in Ahmedabad, Gujarat but this was truly a challenge," both doctors stated. 

How to preserve an amputated finger or limb after accident?

An amputated finger, hand, or limb should not be treated with antiseptic or placed directly on ice. It must be washed under running water before wrapping it in a clean damp cloth, and sealing it in a dry plastic bag. The bag should then be placed in ice water. Direct contact with ice can cause frostbite and damage the tissue further. 

Zydus Hospitals' reconstructive surgery expertise extends beyond trauma into oncology as well. The team regularly performs head and neck reconstruction and breast reconstruction for cancer patients following tumour resection, helping restore both form and function after cancer surgery. More recently, the hospital has also begun offering lymphatic surgery for post-cancer lymphedema, making it one of the few centres in India to offer this treatment. The team consists of Dr. Raghuvir Solanki, Dr. Jatin Bhojani, Dr. Shailendra Singh, and Burns Specialist and Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Girish Amlani.

Cases like these establish Zydus Hospitals as a hub for critical patient care, with its multidisciplinary teams making such pathbreaking procedures possible.

To know more visit https://zydushospitals.com