Man’s foot crushed horribly in accident saved by doctors

Sumesh Rajan

Mumbai: 26 October 2022

 35-year-old Basudev Bandhopadhyay of Undri in Pune, India, on July 16 was riding a motorbike with his wife in the pillion, back home at around 10 am after meeting his friend at Pisoli around 5 kms away, when a truck collided into his bike from behind.

The accident was so forceful that the motorbike that they were riding tumbled and both of them fell off on to the road. While, Basudev’s wife escaped with minor injuries, his left leg got entangled in the wheel of the truck and he along with the bike was dragged for around 50 feet. 

“My left leg was completely crushed and the muscles were torn apart leading to a lot of bleeding. My wife immediately called my friend, who rushed me to Ruby Hall Clinic at Wanowrie (around 5 kms away). Though there were only two minor fractures one at the ankle and another at the patella, there was massive blood, muscle and skin loss. The first thought of the attending doctors was to amputate my leg. I felt completely devastated, and seeing the condition I too thought that I will lose my leg. However, some of my friends knew about micro-vascular surgeon Dr Abhishek Ghosh, and contacted him. Though he was on leave on that day, he rushed to the hospital and said ‘let us try to save the leg’,” said Basudev.

“He had lost a lot of blood and was rushed to the hospital. Seeing his condition he was advised amputation of his left lower limb, I and my team decided to salvage the limb,” said Dr Ghosh.

“He was immediately taken for emergency surgery, and was given multiple blood transfusions to stabilise his blood pressure, and given anesthesia. The whole left lower limb was badly crushed and degloved and there was no blood supply to the leg due to damaged popliteal artery. An emergency popliteo - tibial vascular bypass was done and his leg was saved,” added Dr Ghosh.

The first day surgery lasted for about 6 hours. Later he underwent multiple debridements and reconsteuctive surgeries with grafts and flaps. After 14 surgeries his lower limb has healed now and he is able to walk with a walker.

He is expected to regain full use of his limb in two months’ time with physiotherapy, said Dr Ghosh.