With 3K plastic surgeries annually, OGH sets example

HYDERABAD: A nine-month-old girl fell into a tub of hot water while playing in her house. Approximately 51 per cent of her body was burnt when she was brought to the hospital. The toddler had lost sensation of her upper lip and right leg. Through two sessions of homograft and one session of autograft, the plastic surgeons not only saved the life of the baby, but also improved the quality of her life.

On World Plastic Surgery Day celebrated on Friday by the staff of the Plastic Surgery Department of Osmania General Hospital, the story of the girl was shared to spread awareness about the spectrum of plastic surgery.

People often think of plastic surgery as a cosmetic procedure carried out to enhance facial beauty. But plastic surgeons at Osmania General Hospital on Friday explained that these surgeries are more associated with reconstruction of defects caused at birth or due to burns and cancer.

Care for trauma victims

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Palukuri Lakshmi, Head of the Plastic Surgery Department said that the OGH has the second highest burn care in India with highest turnover and burn survival rates. Unlike the other hospitals, the department at OGH provides tertiary care for burns, trauma, reconstruction, oncoplastic and cosmetic surgery.

The department annually treats approximately 8,000 patients and performs more than 3,000 surgeries. “Half of the burn admissions mostly suffer more than 50% of burns. Such cases have a higher mortality rate which can be reduced using the skin from skin bank,” Dr Lakshmi added.