Femur replacement surgery on Armyman

R K Singh still cannot believe he can walk on his own feet. Diagnosed with cancer in his hip-bone and thigh bone,36-year-old Singh is the first serving soldier in the Army to have undergone a total femoral replacement surgery,where an estimated 80 percent of the skeleton of his leg was surgically replaced with a metallic implant at the Army(R & R) hospital.

A jawan from Ambala in Haryana,Singh is the sole bread winner of his family. According to Colonel Yogesh Sharma,HOD Orthopedics at the hospital,who led the team of multidisciplinary surgeons,along with Colonel N Kannan HOD Oncosurgery,“Patients with femoral cancer are generally advised to undergo a hip disarticulation,or amputate the entire leg from the hip joint. Besides the high cost of the implant,requirements of extreme infection control and the lack of a proper implant and upper part of the tibia,are limitations for this procedure.” Singh who now walks with the help of a stick said,“I am a soldier and could not bear the thought of hobbling on one leg. After doctors at the Army hospital told me I might have to amputate my leg,I asked them to seek give me more options,” says Singh. When somebody suggested the option of a femur replacement,he asked the doctors at the Army hospital to perform this surgery. Though he was told that surgery had poor prognosis and risks of nervous tissue damage,Dr Sharma said it was his resilience which inspired doctors to push for this surgery. The implant,costing an estimated Rs 5 lakh,was provided free of cost.

After three cycles of chemotherapy,the surgery lasted four-and-a-half hours. Col Sharma said,“Besides the thigh bone,his knee joint and a portion of the tibial bone were removed,along with the surrounding soft tissues.” They ensured that vital blood vessels and nerves were preserved and reconstructed the tissues of the leg to retain normal functioning of the hip and knee joints.” The available muscles were attached to the metallic components and the overall length of the leg was restored,” he said.