Going to a fair became a nightmare for this 13-year-old girl from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. She crashed-landed before a generator fan, and her hair was pulled into the revolving fan. It even pulled away her scalp and caused what is medically known as scalp avulsion. The primary treatment was given at a nearby hospital and soon her parents brought her to Amrita Hospital, Faridabad for advanced care.
Scalp avulsion occurs when long hair gets accidentally entrapped in high-speed rotary parts of industrial machinery. Women are more susceptible to it. Scalp avulsion is not only painful but also difficult to treat. The only procedure for a successful therapeutic option is surgical replantation.
Scalp reimplantation is an intricate treatment procedure that demands prompt action and specialized microvascular surgical skills. Despite a delay of nearly 10 hours post-injury, the recovery shown by the patient was commendable. The girl has shown excellent signs of recovery.Dr Mohit Sharma, Head Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
A well-coordinated effort by Dr. Sachin Gupta, a Pediatric Neurosurgeon at the Amrita Hospital, and a team of reconstructive microsurgeons yielded the desired results. The Doctors at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, worked hard for eight hours to perform a successful scalp replantation. The girl survived the ordeal and the permanent disfigurement that would have ensued following an unsuccessful implantation.
Dr Vasundhra Jain, Senior Consultant, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery said a failed or unsuccessful replantation would have shattered the young girl physically and emotionally. A lifelong disfigurement would have taken its toll on every aspect of her life because of her young age.
Now the girl resumes her daily schedule and begins attending her school. Her confidence returns. With time all telltale signs will become invisible. The surgery has transformed the girl’s life. Her scalp has been restored to a near-normal appearance. It is her second life, the parents said as they expressed their gratitude to the team of doctors in a press conference.
Medical Director of Amrita Hospital, Dr Sanjeev Singh, lauded the hospital’s expertise and commitment to providing quality healthcare and transforming lives.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Dr.Swati Sharma/MSM)