It took 21 titanium plates, polyethylene implants and a surgery lasting several hours to reconstruct the face of a 34-year-old man who had suffered multiple fractures of all facial bones in a two-wheeler accident.

A team of reconstructive surgeons wearing PPEs performed the operation at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), that lasted eight hours to restore the badly disfigured face of the patient.

Two weeks ago, the patient from Cuddalore was brought to the hospital with a head injury and multiple fractures of all his facial bones. He had been knocked off his motorcycle by another motorcyclist on his way home. He was unconscious and badly disfigured.

The team at the Department of Plastic & Reconstructive surgery led by Sharad Ramdas reconstructed his face using 21 titanium plates and polyethylene implants for each of his eye sockets with critical support from neurosurgery, critical care, anaesthesia and ENT departments.

The patient has recovered well and has been discharged from the hospital on a semi solid diet, PIMS said.

According to the hospital, the department normally manages 85 to 100 facial fractures a year but has seen a sharp rise in the number of patients during the last four months in spite of travel restrictions. The department advocated stricter legislation for riding with helmets and not riding after consumption of alcohol.