A team of medical experts at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has successfully conducted a landmark surgery by re-joining the completely severed wrist of a patient.

Mr Victor Atikpo, a factory worker, had his wrist completely chopped off when a colleague accidentally switched on a machine he (Atikpo) was servicing.

The surgery, which took place on April 21, 2018, and lasted about seven hours, saw the repair of about 25 structures in the wrist.

The medical team worked on blood vessels, tendons, nerves and the wrist bone.

The Head of the medical team that conducted the surgery, Dr Edem Kofi Anyigba, explained to the Daily Graphic that preparations for the surgery, which included preparing the severed wrist and the patient, were started at 6 pm when the patient reported to the hospital.

According to him, the success of the surgery was largely dependent on factors such as the timely reporting of the accident to the hospital, preserving the severed wrist properly and having the right expertise.

“We have a way of keeping the wrist. You keep it in a plastic bag, tie it and then put it on ice. Usually, when you have an amputation, you need to keep it cool and away from water,” he said.

Read the full story in the May 8, 2018 edition of the Daily Graphic newspaper.