For the first time on the Sunshine Coast, plastic surgeon Dr Chandan Jadhav has performed a total digit transfer for a patient who lost their thumb in a workplace incident.
The complex procedure involved transferring the patient’s second toe to reconstruct a functional thumb.
The operation took 12 hours.
Dr Jadhav, who practises at Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital, says the procedure means patients can now access complex reconstructive surgery locally.
“Patients had to be sent to Brisbane previously, but we now have the state-of-the-art facilities on the Sunshine Coast and we can do all these complex reconstructions,” he says.
“It was the first surgery of its kind performed on the Sunshine Coast, and it was made possible through the support and collaboration of Ramsay Health Care.”
Dr Jadhav says he chose to specialise in plastic surgery because “it is a problem-solving specialty that addresses a diverse range of conditions and patient needs”.
“I find great fulfilment in restoring both form and function for my patients, knowing that this can have a meaningful and positive impact on their quality of life,” he says.
The patient has begun rehabilitation with hand therapists and occupational therapists and is making good progress.
“She’s got back all the sensation in the thumb and she’s started to use the thumb, which is basically her toe, now to do most of the activities,” Dr Jadhav says.
The patient will need at least six months of rehabilitation. The goal is for a graduated return to work.
Dr Jadhav says the procedure is not one he hopes to perform often.
“We never want any patient to have a thumb surgery,” he says.
“But if they have any kind of accidents and surgeries, we have the expertise and we’re pretty confident to perform them at the Sunshine Coast.”
WORDS: Abbey Cannan.
