What Is Limb Replantation?
Limb replantation is a complex microsurgical procedure that allows patients to have severed limbs reattached or “replanted” to their body. Most patients need limb replantation within hours of experiencing traumatic injuries.
Depending on the type of injury you have, surgical specialists can replant some severed limbs. Replantation is more common for upper extremities like arms, hands, and fingers. It is less common for lower extremities.
While replantation is usually more successful with sharp injures, some types of crush injuries do respond successfully.
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Limb Replantation Surgery
Replantation is a surgical procedure where amputated body parts are reattached to the body. To perform replantation, surgeons often repair injured bony structures as well as tendons, blood vessels, nerves, and skin. Surgeons may also need to repair additional soft tissue coverage. For all replantation procedures, patients must be admitted to the hospital for post-operative monitoring.
Immediately after your injury, our team of specialized surgeons will examine your injury to determine where damage has occurred to your skin, bones, nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and tendons. Surgeons will then rapidly develop a treatment plan to restore blood flow, repair damaged nerves and bones, and—if needed—repair damaged skin using flaps or skin grafts.
In many cases, plastic surgery, performed together with orthopedic and vascular surgery, can restore substantial function to severely injured limbs.
Our team of specialized hand surgeons works closely with hand therapists to optimize patients’ recovery times and to restore function after surgery.
Why Do I Need Surgery?
Traumatic injuries can completely sever connections between a finger and hand or a hand and wrist. These types of injuries are serious and are considered surgical emergencies. To prevent tissue loss, surgeons must restore blood flow to the amputated body part within hours of the injury.