Worker electrocuted saves from losing four limbs with tissue transplant

Oğul, who was working as a plumber in a village in Şanlıurfa, was electrocuted by a nearby high voltage line while he was laying pipes on a roof.

The father of four, Oğul, who was seriously injured in the accident and whose hands and feet were burned, was first taken to Harran State Hospital and then to a hospital in the center of Şanlıurfa .

Facing the risk of having his hands and feet amputated due to severe burns on his body, Oğul applied to Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, one of the few centers for tissue transplants.

He underwent 7 major surgeries

Oğul, who was treated by a team consisting of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Murat Ergani, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burak Yaşar, and Prof. Dr. Ramazan Erkin Ünlü, Head of the Department of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, underwent seven major surgeries there.

The son, who had transplants to his hands and feet using tissues taken from his abdomen and legs, was back on his feet after 5 months.

"I can walk now, I have feeling in my hands and fingers."

Describing his experiences, Ahmet Oğul said that he narrowly escaped death after being caught in a high voltage power line on February 25.

Oğul, who explained that he experienced this accident while laying pipes on the roof of a house in a village in Şanlıurfa and that his hands and feet were burned at the time, said, "I fell to the ground at that moment. My uncles and relatives brought me to the hospital. They brought me to Harran Hospital and then to Urfa. I spent 13 days undergoing cleaning surgeries. Then they said, 'We can't do anything anymore; we've reached the final stage.'"

Oğul, who stated that doctors told him that his hands and feet would have to be amputated, said that as a result of their research, he applied to Ankara Bilkent City Hospital and received treatment in the burn unit there.

The son said, "I had a tissue transplant from my abdomen. Then it went to my right arm, then my left arm, then from my left leg to my right leg... Our doctors worked very hard. The process went well. The tissues held together. I can walk now. I've regained feeling in my hands and fingers. Hopefully, this process will go much better."

"There were tissue losses"

Prof. Dr. Ramazan Erkin Ünlü shared the following information about the operation:

Our patient was severely burned, starting from his wrists and ankles, and had tissue loss. He was unable to functionally move his hands and feet, walk, or stand. He was unable to perform any movements and had a loss of sensation, strength, and mobility. We explained that multiple surgeries were possible and that our chances of success were low. The patient and his family were extremely cooperative. They demonstrated a strong will and determination for this. We performed seven major surgeries, all of which were successful.

Our patient is now standing, walking, and has begun to move his fingers. We still have a few minor procedures to perform, but we've made significant progress in saving his hands and legs and restoring him to a normal individual. Once we restore his finger movements as desired, he will be no different from a normal individual.

"One of the rare patients to enter the literature"

Professor Dr. Ünlü emphasized the extreme difficulty of burn surgery, saying, "Such a patient is very rare in the literature. Saving all four extremities simultaneously and successfully resolving this post-burn condition with treatment is an enormous undertaking. This patient is one of the rare patients who will enter the literature. I can say we've accomplished a minor miracle. I conducted a small literature search and couldn't find another case like this. We haven't encountered such a patient or treatment method in Türkiye. We are the first in this field."

Noting that Bilkent City Hospital Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Clinic is the largest surgical clinic in this field in Türkiye, Ünlü emphasized that its doors are always open to patients experiencing similar problems.

"Our greatest happiness is that he can walk and caress his child with his hand"

Associate Professor Dr. Hasan Murat Ergani said, "We restored circulation to both our patient's hands and feet using tissue taken from his abdomen and both thighs. We also aimed to close the gap that had formed there. The patient was quite hopeless when he arrived, with a high probability of losing his hands and feet. However, we talked to him and told him to be patient, that he needed some time, and that we would do everything we could as a team. Ultimately, we were successful. The fact that the patient can now walk with his child and family and caress his child with his hands is our greatest source of happiness."

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burak Yaşar stated that they successfully performed microsurgery at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital's Plastic Surgery Clinic, saying, "We performed very successful tissue transplants on our patient. He has regained his health. We are very happy about this."