Recently, a group of 17 surgeons at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital accomplished an amazing feat: they completed 24 plastic surgery procedures in a single day, breaking the previous record for the medical facility. A two-year-old boy undergoing cleft reconstructive surgery was the youngest patient seen during this long session, and a 58-year-old woman having a cyst removed from her left eyebrow was the oldest.
The majority of the cases comprised injured parties from auto accidents who needed different surgical treatments, including skin grafting, flap thinning, scar revision, and index finger amputation. Starting at nine in the morning on Monday, the long operation session went on without interruption for the next twenty-four hours, ending on Tuesday. By prioritizing patients who needed urgent treatment but whose procedures had been delayed for different reasons, this effort aims to shorten the wait times for surgeries.
The main goal of this marathon, according to Dr. Sameek Bhattacharya, director professor and head of the burns and plastic surgery departments at RML Hospital, was to clear the backlog of surgical cases and give patients in need prompt medical attention. Additionally, he saw a notable rise in the number of persons choosing to have plastic surgeries—roughly 25–30 percent.
Three gynecomastia procedures were carried out throughout the race. One of the most frequent surgeries performed on male patients at the hospital is gynecomastia surgery, which decreases the size of the breasts in men. This demonstrates the wide variety of plastic surgery procedures carried out to meet both practical and cosmetic objectives.
Dr. Ajay Shukla, medical superintendent of the hospital, emphasized the vital role plastic surgeons play in restoring both function and appearance to body parts affected by various conditions, including congenital defects and cancer. He remarked, “We have patients born with facial defects, and plastic surgeons provide the final touch. They can restore the function and appearance of body parts affected by cancer. Plastic surgery has an important role to play.”
The accomplishment of this 24-hour surgical marathon demonstrates the commitment and proficiency of the RML Hospital surgical staff. It shows the hospital’s dedication to shortening surgical wait times and enhancing patient outcomes by providing prompt and efficient care. This incident not only created a new standard for the hospital but also demonstrated the vital role plastic surgery plays in contemporary medicine by meeting patients’ needs for both reconstructive and cosmetic procedures.
The lengthy surgical procedure at RML Hospital is evidence of how plastic surgery is developing as a specialty and how it is now used to treat a greater variety of illnesses. The hospital has greatly enhanced many people’s quality of life by giving emergency care to those in need, which highlights the significance of timely and easily accessible surgical interventions in healthcare.
SOURCE:
ECONOMIC TIMES