Komfo Anokye Surgeons Repair Congenital Limb Malformation In A 5-Month-Old Baby

• A team of the medical staff at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital has operated on a five-month-old baby with extra limbs
• The baby was referred from a district hospital, where the mother delivered the child
• Dr Dominic Konadu Yeboah, Senior Specialist in Trauma and Orthopaedic, led the team that performed the surgery

A multidisciplinary team of health workers has performed a six-hour-long surgery on a five-month-old baby to repair a complex congenital limb malformation at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).

A tweet stated that the team of health workers comprised surgeons, anaesthesiologists, paediatricians, and nurses. Dr Dominic Konadu-Yeboah, Senior Specialist in Trauma and Orthopaedic, led the team.

The baby, whose condition is known in medical terms as polymelia, was delivered at a district hospital through cesarean section. Aside from the polymelia, it was observed that the baby also had abnormal positioning of the right kidney, anorectal malformation, a fistula, and an eye visual problem. Four hours after the baby was delivered, they were referred to KATH.

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What is Polymelia?

Polymelia is the condition in which a body part has extra, superfluous limbs joined to it. About 6 out of every 10,000 live births result in this uncommon limb deformity. The aetiology of polymelia is heterogeneous and includes incomplete separation of identical twins while they are developing in the womb. When the extra limbs are linked to the pelvis, it is referred to as pyromania.

The process they went through before the surgery

Dr Konadu-Yeboah said they had many discussions and education about the baby with the parents before the surgical procedure.

He said they counselled the parents on the procedure, outcomes, and possible complications.

He added that after five months of intensive preparations and pre-operative investigations, including scans and lab tests, they did the surgical repair operation on February 20, 2023. The operation lasted for close to six hours.

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"The baby is healing steadily as planned during the immediate and intermediate postoperative phases, which have all been successfully treated without any difficulties. To fully restore the baby's normal functioning, additional small treatments and surgical interventions will be performed," Dr Konadu-Yeboah said.

The baby’s parents said they were satisfied with the surgery's outcome and thanked the team of surgeons.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, has applauded the team of surgeons for undertaking such a complex surgery. He praised their teamwork spirit and urged other units to unite and share knowledge.

Old Accra Academy student needs help for hip surgery after surviving an accident

In another story, a former student of Accra Academy, Isaac Gyan, needs financial help after he was involved in an accident that almost cost him his life.

Gyan was on his way to a teaching course on August 26, 2022, when he was involved in an accident on the Winneba highway.

Source: YEN.com.gh