Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 15 May 2024
An ITI student, aged 20, was admitted to the GB Pant Hospital (GBPH) following a severe road traffic accident at Lamba Line, where he sustained a fracture of his left thigh bone and multiple breaks in the lower leg bones on the same side. The young man was brought to the hospital in critical condition, bleeding profusely due to the extensive fractures.
Upon arrival, immediate medical attention was provided to stabilise the patient’s condition and restore his blood loss. Subsequently, on March 17th, the Orthopaedics team at GBPH performed surgery to address the fracture of the thigh bone. However, due to the loss of a significant portion of skin exposing the bone in the lower leg, the definitive surgery for the lower leg fracture was deliberately postponed. Instead, the medical team carried out regular dressing procedures to prevent infection at the injury site.
Two days later, on March 19th, a team of doctors, including Dr. P.N Suparna, a Plastic Surgeon from ANIIMS, along with Orthopedicians Dr. Kartik Pande and Dr. Humam Ahmad, successfully performed a surgical procedure to fix the lower leg bone fracture using an external fixator, ensuring the alignment of the fragmented bones.
Dr. Suparna’s expertise was pivotal in addressing the loss of skin in the injured leg. A full-thickness skin graft was harvested from the patient’s right leg calf region and transplanted to cover the exposed area on the left leg. The procedure, performed for the first time at GBPH, involved meticulous surgical techniques to suture the graft into place. The donor site on the right leg was covered with a split skin graft from the right thigh.
The introduction of Plastic Surgery facilities at GB Pant Hospital marks a significant milestone in healthcare services for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Dr. P.N Suparna, a specialist with a background in Plastic Surgery from Nair Hospital, Mumbai, has joined the hospital, offering advanced surgical interventions locally. This development not only reduces the need for patient referrals to mainland India but also ensures that complex procedures, such as those required for severe fractures with skin loss, can be performed with precision and accuracy in Port Blair itself.
Dr. Suparna’s appointment signifies the beginning of a new era in specialised medical care at GB Pant Hospital, with plans for further expansion of super-specialist services in the near future. This enhancement in healthcare facilities brings hope to residents of the islands, ensuring access to comprehensive medical treatment without the inconvenience of traveling to mainland hospitals.
Excellent