A medical miracle took place at the SGPGI medical center in Lukkov: plastic surgery surgeons successfully transplanted the big toe of a young man who lost the big toe of his right hand in a traffic accident. Following this complex and unique operation, the strength of the fingers on the hand was restored, and the toes on the foot function normally. The patient is now mobile independently and has been discharged from the hospital.
According to plastic surgeon Dr. Rajiv Kumar Bharti, the young man lost the big toe of his right hand and suffered severe fractures to both bones of his arm in a car accident on March 17, 2026. After the incident, the family received treatment at another hospital where the wound was closed and the broken bones were set, but the big toe of the hand could not regain its functionality.
Doctors note that the big toe accounts for about 40 percent of all human hand functions. The absence of this digit negatively affects daily activities and can cause psychological stress in young people. This is the problem with which the patient sought help at SGPGI.
After arriving at SGPGI, doctors conducted a full consultation with the patient and his relatives. A difficult decision was then made regarding the safe reduction of the big toe of the foot and its subsequent implantation into the right hand. The marathon operation began on September 30 under general anesthesia and lasted about ten hours. During the procedure, two teams of doctors worked simultaneously: one team prepared the exact site for the toe on the hand, while the other team carefully separated the toe of the foot along with its artery, blood vessels, muscle tendons, and nerves responsible for sensation.
Subsequently, the big toe of the foot was attached to the remaining bone of the hand, and a microsurgical operation was performed to connect the nerves and blood vessels, which allowed for the successful restoration of blood circulation in the transplanted toe.
The Director of SGPGI, Dr. R.K. Diman, congratulated the entire surgical team on this significant medical achievement. He emphasized that this achievement is a crucial step toward establishing a specialized hand transplantation department at the institution.
The team that performed this complex operation included Dr. Ankur Bhatnagar, Dr. Rajiv Kumar Bharti, and Dr. Nikilesh Kumar from the Department of Plastic Surgery. Additionally, residents participated: Dr. Aina, Dr. Surbi, Dr. Juhy, Dr. Jilik, Dr. Shtakshi, and Dr. Pradnya. Specialists from the anesthesiology department played an important role: Dr. Ashish Kanaujiya, residents Shikhha, Dr. Anjali, and Dr. Harsh, as well as operating room staff: Sanjeev, Sony, Ritu, Basant, and Pawan.
