Tendon Repair

This pretty lady began to cry uncontrollably when I informed her that the very deep cut on the dorsum of her left foot, lateral side, was a little complicated - the tendon that dorsi-flexes the 5th toe was completely severed and would need a proper repair. She had been all too aware of her sudden inability to wiggle that toe, never mind the pain she was going through. It was an okada accident she had been involved in, and she soon began swearing that it would be her very last okada ride.

I gave her two options. One, we call in the specialist. The Orthopaedic surgeon. Or two, we the medical officers would handle it ourselves. And by "we" I meant I as the surgeon, with the staff nurse on duty as assistant. The former meant a greater financial cost. After quiet consideration and phone consultations with her acquaintances, she opted for the latter.

Off to theatre we went, upon which I soon began deftly uniting the ends of the severed tendon with silk 2-0 sutures, glad it wasn't difficult finding the distal end of the torn tendon - this sometimes would have run-up and out of sight immediately following the severance, that would then require an extended surgical incision on the skin and deeper tissues in search of it.

I had wisely put in a call to the ortho surgeon for a quick discussion, before theatre.

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