Second Opinion Saves Fijian Man's Leg from Amputation

A 28-year-old mechanic from Saweni, Lautoka, has had his leg saved from amputation thanks to a crucial second opinion and advanced surgical intervention.

The mechanic sustained a severe injury to his left leg following an alleged hit-and-run bicycle accident. Doctors at Lautoka Hospital advised that amputation was the only viable option. However, his family, unwilling to accept this outcome, transferred him to Pacific Specialist Healthcare Hospitals (PSH Hospitals) in Nadi.

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At that moment, we decided to shift him to PSH Hospitals. We have now been told there is no need to amputate his leg, though he will undergo a series of surgical procedures to fully recover.

At PSH Hospitals, leading orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Vaigalo Eddie McCaig and his team undertook the complex case. After performing multiple surgeries, they successfully saved the patient's leg, which had been at risk of amputation. The patient's wife, Sonia Kumar, expressed their despair upon hearing the initial prognosis and their immense relief at the positive outcome in Nadi.

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The patient was transferred from Lautoka on Tuesday, August 25, with a limb-threatening injury. Following multiple surgeries, his leg is no longer at risk of amputation.

Dr. McCaig, who possesses 22 years of medical experience, described the case as complex and the treatment as rare in Fiji. He explained that while amputation is often the easier route, PSH Hospitals is committed to specialized treatment plans. The current plan involves clearing infection, stabilizing the leg, and performing skin grafts. A significant part of the treatment will be replacing a ten-centimeter section of the tibia using the Masquelet bone graft surgical technique, a procedure developed in France.

This technique involves using bone cement to fill the defect, followed by replacing the cement with a bone graft from the patient's iliac crest after a two-month healing period. Dr. McCaig noted his prior experience with this method at CWM Hospital in Suva. PSH Hospitals founder and CEO Parvish Kumar expressed pride in the hospital's team for introducing such advanced procedures and wished the patient a swift recovery.

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First, we have to clear the infection and stabilize the leg, followed by skin grafts. Once healed, we aim to replace ten centimeters of his tibia bone using the Masquelet bone graft surgical technique.