HMC Multidisciplinary Team of Surgeons Successfully Reattach Severed Foot

Surgeons at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) have successfully reattached the severed foot of a patient who was involved in a serious accident. Mr. Barthimili Undobu, a Cameroon national, was injured when he was struck by a sharp object that amputated his foot from the ankle down.

Dr. Amr Fares, a Senior Consultant of Vascular Surgery at the Department of Surgery in Hamad General Hospital, led the team that worked to reattach the patient’s foot. He said: “This case involved a number of complex procedures that required a high-level of expertise and skill; the success of the procedures is both a testament to the skill of our surgical team and the paramedics who attended to the patient at the scene of the accident.”

“This ground-breaking surgical success represents a monumental achievement for HMC and is an example of our commitment to delivering the safest, most effective, and compassionate care to all patients,” Dr. Fares added.

Paramedics who responded to the emergency call took the necessary measures to preserve the amputated foot by placing it in a temperature-controlled, sterile container. When the patient arrived at Hamad General Hospital he was met by a multi-disciplinary team of eleven highly skilled surgeons comprising vascular, orthopedic, plastics, and anesthesia specialties.

“The patient was briefed on the surgical procedure that would be performed and he was informed about the associated risks. The first part of the surgery, which took three hours to complete, was performed by orthopedic surgeons who reattached the severed bones using metal pins and rods. This was done in preparation for reconnecting the severed arteries,” said Dr. Mamoon Abu Samhadanah, Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon at Hamad General Hospital.

The metal pins and rods remained in the patient’s foot for three months, after which time vascular surgeons performed an eight-hour operation to reconnect the severed arteries and veins using microsurgical techniques.

According to Dr. Samhadanah, upon the successful completion of the second surgery, surgeons administered skin grafting to the amputated foot to promote faster recovery, he added.

Three months later the patient underwent an additional orthopedic surgery to further connect his injured ankle to the foot and tibia bone using a metal implant and bone grafts harvested from his femur and pelvis. While successful, the complex procedure was further complicated by the insufficient amount of remaining healthy bone and blood vessels,” said Dr. Majid Mekhaimer, Senior Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon at Hamad General Hospital.

Today the patient, who has undergone a total of five surgeries, is receiving physiotherapy and follow-up care at Hamad General Hospital. He has expressed his gratitude to the State of Qatar, HMC, and the team of surgeons who operated on him for the excellent healthcare and support he received. He also expressed his gratitude to the HMC’s Ambulance Service whose paramedics arrived at the scene of the accident in record time.