Dubai doctors reattach labourer’s severed arm after industrial accident

Team of doctors work together at Rashid Hospital in eight-hour operation to safe Pakistani man's right arm after horrific accident.

DUBAI // Surgeons have reattached a Pakistani labourer’s arm during an eight-hour operation after he was rushed to Rashid Hospital suffering from horrific injuries in an industrial accident.

Specialist doctors were called in to help the 20-year-old, whose right arm was completely severed below the shoulder.

Major surgery required experts from the fields of trauma, vascular and hand surgery to work together to perform the complex procedure in the hope the young man can again lead a relatively normal life.

Details of how the worker suffered the injuries have not been revealed by Dubai Health Authority, just that the incident occurred on Sunday, October 9.

The operation was carried out by Dr Masoud Shafiei, senior vascular surgery specialist, and Dr Mohammad Sadeeq, a vascular surgery consultant, who reattached the blood vessels of the patient’s arm.

Meanwhile, Dr Khalid Al Awadi, consultant hand surgeon, reattached the hand and nerves while Dr Bilal El Yafawi, a trauma consultant, reattached the patient’s bone.

The head of the vascular surgery unit at Rashid Hospital, Dr Deena Al Qudra, said the patient now faces a long period of rehabilitation and physiotherapy to try and regain as much normal function in the limb as possible.

“The young man arrived at the trauma section along with his right arm, which was completely amputated right below the shoulder,” she said.

“After evaluating his case, the team of doctors decided to reattach his arm despite the severity of his case, to give him a chance of leading a normal life with all his limbs intact.”

Although Rashid Hospital’s trauma section receives many high vascular and trauma emergency cases, amputation cases of upper limbs such as hands and arms are rare.

The biggest risk for the patient now is from infection, so his recovery is being closely monitored.

Dr Qudra added: “While the moving functions of the arm will take a long time and extensive physiotherapy to be hopefully regained, reattaching the arm will help the patient psychologically cope with the accident and have hope to lead a normal life, especially given his young age.

“Conducting such a high-emergency surgery would not have been possible without the group effort and expertise of Rashid Hospital doctors from different fields.”