When Pitchaiah Esakki, 21, a driver from Padmaneri near Kalakkad in the district thanked the doctors of Tirunelveli Medical College and Hospital and shook hands with them to thank them for having saved his life, his left hand was heavily bandaged as he had just undergone a major surgical procedure in the vital organ.
He heaved a sigh of relief even as Dean, TVMCH, C. Revathi Balan, surrounded by her colleagues from the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, started explaining the ordeals underwent by Mr. Esakki..
A quarrel in a temple festival on August 5 got escalated into a scuffle and in a subsequent attack by an armed gang, Mr. Esakki’s left hand wrist was chopped off. He was admitted to TVMCH around 7 a.m. with a severed left wrist that was kept in an ice bag.
Led by T. Chenthil Sivamuthu, Head, Department of Plastic Surgery, TVMCH, the team consisting of S. Ahamed Rafeeq Meeran, G.R. Balaji Sharma, S. Raja, S. Senthur Pandian, G. Gowthin, anaesthetists Selvaraj and Ahila completed the 10-hour-long surgery to save Mr. Esakki and especially his hand.
“Our team used advanced microsurgical techniques to repair the badly damaged arteries, veins, nerves etc. to successfully restore the blood flow to the amputated limb. The early signs of nerve recovery were promising, thanks to the care offered by the hospital,” Dr. Revathi told reporters here on Wednesday.
Published – November 05, 2025 08:05 pm IST
