Tehran University Medical Journal

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Background: Traumatic amputation of upper limb above the level of the elbow, are rare injuries that a surgeon may be faced with a handful of cases during his career. Even with advanced techniques in microvascular surgery, the survival of the transplanted limb that cut off completely from the arm is relatively weak. Case Presentation: Four injured people (patient) in Imam Khomeini Hospital during 1999-2013 in Tehran University of Medical Sciences were treated. Two patients had complete amputation of limb and other patients suffered from complete cutting in artery and vein along with neurological and soft tissue damages. There was not any ischemia or gangrene. However, efficiency of limbs with damages in peripheral nerves was not significant. The main reason was lack of immediate repair of the damaged nerves. In the recent examination, after discharge, the performance of the limb is firstly related to the conditions of the nerve system and secondly it depends on the severity of the injury in each of the muscles. However, none of the patients were dissatisfied of any situation and they were prepared to make any cooperation for improving the condition of their transplanted limb. Conclusion: Transplantation of the amputated limb can be done in spite of limited resources. Any delay in repairing damaged nerves will result great reduction of final organs’ performance. A limb, made from the own body, always take precedence to prosthesis, even when the efficiency is low.

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Background: Even though replantation surgery has now become a routine procedure, it remains delicate and demanding surgery, requiring adequate training and expertise in microsurgical techniques. Functional outcomes following replantation vary with the level of injury. Replants of the fingers distal to the flexor superficial are insertion, the hand at the wrist, and the upper extremity at the distal forearm can achieve good function. With the advent of refined microscopes, sutures, and needles, along with specialized surgical training, replantation has become a routine part of hand-surgery practice in centers all over the world. Clearly, survival does not equate with function. Amputations constitute multisystem injury, with disruption of skeletal support (bone), motor function (muscle), sensibility (nerve), circulation (blood vessel), and soft-tissue coverage (skin). A lot of News work-related accidents published daily. Complete amputation of the palm with sharp objects electric disrupts quality of life and irreversible effects on their life. Replantation or repair the damaged organ can improve their quality of life, functional body.

Case presentation: The case is a man with complete amputation of the palm while working with an electrical machine, at the same time as damage and severe crush was also the distal phalanx of the first finger of the right hand. Patient was admitted to the emergency unit at Fatemi Hospital of Ardabil city in January 2014, Iran, and underwent to surgery for replantation.

Conclusion: Complete amputation of palm and its successful replantation are among rarely occurred and reportable cases. Complete amputation of palm and successful replantation and the 10-month follow-up indicated that the patient had a successful operation. No abnormalities were found in the blood circulation, and finger grasping was acceptable. Nerve development was acceptable.