India Surgeon Performs Rare Feat

Perhaps only in India do the opportunities exist to perform such rare surgery. As reported by the Times of India, joint replacement surgeon Harsimra Singh, M.D., gave new life to a 50-year-old man whose bones, from the age of 35, were bent stiff to 90 degrees. At the age of 20 Gurdev Singh was struck down with rheumatoid arthritis and has been crawling for the past 15 years. His hands had gnarled and his knees deformed at right angles, making it impossible for him to stand straight.

Though Dr. Singh at first believed that routine knee replacement implants were unsuccessful in such cases, he discussed it with experts in the UK. After consultation he decided to perform a hinged knee replacement, which involved a specialized implant imported from Germany. Harsimra corrected the entire deformity during the surgery that lasted three hours, he said.

Post-surgery, Gurdev underwent physiotherapy sessions and walked with the aid of a walker and knee support braces. “The knee support braces and walker are now discontinued and he is allowed to walk with a stick, ” said Dr. Singh. “Such cases represent great challenge for the surgeon. Till long ago, we did not have the technology or expertise to treat such patients. Today, we can offer a chance of a normal life to patients, with even the most severe forms of arthritis, ” he said in the August 1 news release. To be able to stand up and walk on his own is like a second life for Gurdev—“By making me walk again, the doctor is nothing short of God to me, ” he said.