|
When full-time national serviceman Ang Jun Heng was set upon by assailants last weekend, it took almost 12 hours before doctors could begin work to reattach half his left hand and four fingers which were hacked off.
The police received a call about seven hours after he was believed to have been attacked. A team was sent to the scene of the attack in Sims Drive to look for his palm and fingers.
While any limb which has been severed should be reattached within six hours, doctors said the area of amputation counts for a lot in determining how successful a reattachment operation is.
Because muscle has a high metabolic rate, any area that has a larger muscle mass is likely to die faster without constant blood supply. After six hours, it is likely that the muscle will be dead.
Dr Peng Yeong Pin, head of hand and reconstructive surgery at the National University Hospital, added: “When you attach a dead muscle, it will break down and release toxins into the body which
can cause a lot of other complications.”
Fingers are one part of the body which have far less muscle mass, and this could explain why Mr Ang’s fingers could be successfully reattached after such a long lapse in time.
Still, the outcome is likely to be better if the limb is reattached earlier. Dr Peng noted that “anything after one day is not okay”.
He added that the function of the reattached limbs is unlikely to be 100 per cent as before. “It’s a functional reconstruction. We expect that the patient will use it as an assisting hand, and it is not likely to have as much dexterity.”
|