Surgeons Having More Success Reattaching Fingers and Thumbs

On average, Bindra (Loyola University Medical Center hand surgeon Dr. Randy Bindra) sees three or four cases per month in which one or more digits have been completely cut off or almost completely severed. The typical patient is a do-it-yourselfer, rather than a professional carpenter who has undergone safety training, Bindra said.

Bindra reattaches bones with tiny plates, screws and pins. He sews nerves and blood vessels together with sutures that are finer than a human hair. In Thompson's case, Bindra also took a vein from a forearm to reconnect blood supply to the thumb. Newswise