The Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) here is all set to expand its infrastructure, giving a boost to burns care in the southern districts.
The department will soon house burns ward, physiotherapy unit, outpatient ward and the operation theatre as a composite unit. Renovation works of the exclusive plastic surgery operation theatre has already begun.
The department would also get a host of new equipment worth Rs.30 lakh and intended to begin high-end procedures such as cosmetic surgery and micro vascular procedures, said S. Gnanasekaran, Head, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, GRH, on Wednesday.
Presently, the 100-bedded department performed reconstructive procedures, including correction of birth defects like cleft lips, traumatic injuries like dog bites or burn injuries, and correction of body parts damaged due to diseases such as breast cancer.
Facio maxillary surgeries, peripheral nerve injury, hand surgeries, were also done at the department, said Dr. Gnanasekaran.
The expansion work would get over by the month-end and the outpatient ward would be thrown open six days a week for all sub-specialities of plastic surgery, he added.
The GRH records around 50 burns cases every month, of which 60 per cent of the cases are suicidal burns. Post-burns contracture cases accounts for 50 per cent of the total patients.
Skin grafting that is found to give hope to patients with burns injury to avoid contraction of skin and deformity of the hand and neck is being performed at the centre.
Elaborating on skin grafting, G. Veerasekar, Professor, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, said the procedure involved removal of a patch of healthy skin from the patient’s body and grafting of it on to the burn areas.
Normally, the deformities occurred near the neck and the hand, he said.
Further explaining the procedure, Dr. Veerasekar said that there were four degree burns.
Only those beyond the third degree burn usually required skin grafting.
AppealThe doctors urged the public to utilise the free facilities available at the GRH since the same procedures cost anywhere between Rs.60,000 and Rs.2.5 lakh at private hospitals.
Meanwhile, B. Santhakumar, Dean, GRH, said that the hospital would soon obtain a licence for setting up a skin bank on the premises.
