A resident of Linden who thought he would never be able to use his right hand again following an accident, is grateful to Dr. Li Qing, the anaesthesiologist with the Chinese Medical Team (CMT), for saving it through a new technique.
The patient, whose name was not disclosed, was rushed to the emergency department of the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) after suffering a fractured wrist at his workplace sometime in July.
But because of his chronic medical condition, including obstructive sleep apnea and uncontrolled diabetes, the surgery could not be performed. After making three consecutive visits he was still not cleared for the surgery, which could have resulted in him being highly susceptible to infection.
Luckily, Dr. Li, deputy captain of the CMT, started working at the LHC and within a week, the local anaesthesiologist, who had “recommended that the patient should not undergo surgery unless the underlying diseases were under control,” approached him for help.
According to a release from the CMT, Dr. Li, who is also the chief physician from the Anaesthesiology Department of Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, sprung into action after realizing that a further delay in the surgery could have resulted in a bone deformity, causing the patient’s hand to be permanently disabled.
Using medical aid supplies, including nerve stimulators and “supporting stimulating needles, that he brought
from China, as well as a portable B supersonic diagnostic set he found in the drug warehouse of the Chinese medical doctors’ residency,” Dr. Li performed the “local anesthesia of neurostimulator-assisted intermuscular groove brachial plexus block and elbow ulnar nerve block with the guidance of B-mode ultrasound, which did not require an endotracheal intubation, and avoided the possible risks of general anesthesia.”
According to the release, “This implementation had never been carried out in the history of Linden Hospital Complex, so everyone was worried about this procedure. To their delight, Director Li successfully performed anesthesia and saved the patient’s right hand.”
The release said that the “common practice at Linden Hospital Complex was to perform an endotracheal intubation under general anesthesia when operating on the patient,” but this would have caused complications for the patient.
Following the surgery, the patient and medical team were impressed and were high in praise for Dr. Li.
The local surgeons, anaesthesiologists and anaesthesia nurses also expect Dr. Li to teach them this advanced technique in the coming year.
