Teme, who suffered serious damage to his neck due to burns, was unable to even lift his head. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Specialist Assoc. Prof. Teme, who came to Turkey from Cameroon with his family for treatment. Dr. Burak Özkan and his team performed the surgery.
Speaking about the operation, Assoc. Dr. Özkan said, “Burn contractures (tightening of the skin after a second or third degree burn) are conditions that disrupt the patient’s movement and affect the quality of life as the wound heals. The contracture, especially in the neck area, shortened the patient’s head from the neck, stuck his chin to the body, and prevented him from lifting his head up. “He also had strong contracture bands that caused saliva to flow into his body, prevented the patient from speaking, and even pulled his eyelids down,” he said.
MICROSURGERY SURGERY WAS DONE
Assoc. Prof. said that they took the patient for microsurgery. Dr. Özkan said, “After removing all the bad scars and contracture bands on his neck, we ensured the range of motion of his neck. After this range of motion was achieved, we took a thin tissue from the leg area along with the vein and connected it to the veins in the neck with the help of a microscope. “Thanks to microsurgical surgeries, we had the chance to close the openings of the desired size by transferring the circulating tissue,” he said.
‘INTENSIVE CARE FOLLOW-UP AND RECOVERY PROCESS WAS SUCCESSFUL’
Assoc. Prof. stated that after major surgical interventions in the neck area, the patient was monitored in intensive care for about a day. Dr. Özkan said, “During the surgery in the neck area, the carotid arteries and other large vessels were directly in the operation area. We performed the surgery with our experienced and experienced team. Especially in the preparation of the recipient area, the other member of the team, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Specialist Dr. Lecturer “Member Burak Ergün Tatar made valuable contributions,” he said.
Underlining that there was a visible relief in the patient’s neck movements after the surgery, Assoc. Dr. Özkan said, “The change was noticed by almost everyone. The downward pull effect on the child’s eyes disappeared, and the corner of the mouth returned to its normal position. Our patient will be sent to Cameroon with our suggestions and recommendations. All reconstructive methods, from simple to complex, can be used to repair such burn contractures. “Thanks to the wide range of repairs provided by microsurgery, we enable patients to regain their health even in complicated cases,” he said.
‘IT WAS FOLLOWED EVERY HOUR’
Providing information about the process, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Specialist Dr. Lecturer Member Burak Ergün Tatar said, “Before the operation, we took into consideration the difficulty of intubating the patient. We held a detailed consultation with the anesthesia team. This process was a phase that required great attention and care as a team. Our anesthesia team successfully managed this difficult process.
With an operation that took approximately 7 hours, we managed to open the contracture bands in the neck. Assoc. Dr. Özkan constantly followed the tissue. After the surgery, our patient remained under observation in the hospital for 24 hours. During this process, the transplanted tissue was monitored hourly. Tissue is a structure that needs to be monitored with great care, just like your own baby. Vascular occlusion may occur at any time, which may require a second operation. “Fortunately, with the successful follow-up, the patient’s condition stabilized in the following days,” he said.
(DHA)