Unique bypass of leg arteries saves limb

NAGPUR: Dr Rohit Gupta, a peripheral vascular surgeon at the Orange City Hospital and Research Institute (OCHRI) performed a bypass of all the three major leg arteries and prevented the patients leg from amputation as gangrene had already begun to develop in his foot.
Patient who approached the doctor with pain in his right leg from two months was found to have all the three major arteries, the anterior and posterior tibial artery and the peroneal artery going from knee below to the foot was blocked.This was diagnosed using a diagnostic peripheral blood vessels angiography. This kind of blockages occur in chronic smokers, elderly patients, cardiac and diabetic patients.
"I could only see the small planter artery in the foot functional. So I took the great saphpnosis vein of about 30cm from the leg which is generally used to perform any pass (like heart by pass) and used to by pass the blocked vessels and connected the popliteal artery to the planter artery. This kind of by pass is rarely required and done," he said.
Dr Anup Marar, OCHRI director said that generally such patients reach the doctor very late either due to ignorance of the cause of the pain or carelessness. The case becomes difficult to handle if the patient has already developed gangrene. "Dr Gupta has done such cases earlier at Gangaram Hospital in Delhi but such a big bypass where all three arteries of leg were blocked was done first time even by him. It is a remarkable job," he said.
Dr Anita Pande provided anaesthesia services. Dr Anit Prakash, Dr Kavita Dhurvey, senior medical officer Dr U Gawande, Dr Kuldeep, Dr Sonali, all resident doctors provided post operative care. Sandhya Dhanwatey, nurses Mamta and Nisha and the other operation theatre staff supported Dr Gupta.