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Micro-Surgeons Reattach Severed Thumb

Leeches Aid in Blood Circulation After Surgery

Plastic and reconstructive surgeons at Montefiore Medical Center, with the aid of high-powered microscopes, reattached the thumb of a construction worker after he accidentally cut it off with a rotary saw while building Habitat for Humanity houses in Westchester, N.Y.

Fifty-six-year-old Ivy Barbier, who now lives in the Tremont section of the Bronx, was working with the charitable organization as "payback" for helping him resettle after he was displaced from his New Orleans home by Hurricane Katrina.

The delicate ten-hour operation was performed by Renata Weber, MD, and Diana Linetskaya, MD. "We're very pleased with the outcome," said Dr. Weber. "Mr. Barbier should regain most of the use of his thumb and will most certainly be able to go back to work building houses."

Immediately after surgery doctors decided to use live leeches to help drain blood from the wound. "The vein in Mr. Barbier's thumb was much smaller than his artery, so it would not drain blood quickly enough and was becoming congested," said Dr. Linestkaya. "Leeches are considered a more effective and neater way to reduce congestion than using medication."

The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Montefiore is known internationally for its specialized expertise in delicate and challenging reattachments. Additionally, Dr. Weber brings a new specialization to Montefiore as one of only a few surgeons in the U.S. trained in specialized nerve transfer procedures that involve grafting active nerves in limbs that have been seriously damaged and have lost all nerve function.

Mr. Barbier said the accident happened after the circular saw he was using jammed and "kicked back," slicing off his left thumb. After his accident, Mr. Barbier picked up the severed digit, rapped it in cloth and was initially driven to a hospital in Yonkers. He was immediately transferred to Montefiore because it is one of two designated reattachment centers in New York City.