CMC | Hand Surgery (HLRS)

Hand Surgery (HLRS)

This is the oldest department in Asia dedicated to Hand surgery, reconstruction, Hand therapy, and rehabilitation. It was founded in 1951 by the legendary Dr. Paul W Brand, a pioneer in hand reconstruction and rehabilitation. The purpose of this unit was to reconstruct deformed hands, feet, and faces of Leprosy disabled patients, besides other common hand conditions challenging the developing world.
Today, the Hand Centre has evolved to provide comprehensive care of the diverse problems of the hands and peripheral nerve dysfunctions with reparative, reconstructive, and replacement surgery, as well as microvascular and microneural procedures supported by an excellent hand therapy unit of the department.

Emergency services:
The Hand Surgery Unit offers comprehensive emergency care services to patients at the Vellore Town Campus and the Ranipet Campus 24/7.

Outpatient Clinics:
The Hand Surgery unit conducts outpatient clinics in the OPD main building (B-40) on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday (Review clinic), and Saturday. The Hand Surgery unit also operates outpatient clinics at the Ranipet Campus (A301) from Monday to Saturday.

Outpatient Clinic Schedule

Main/Town Campus (OPD Block Basement - B40)

Private Clinic

Day	Doctors Available
Monday	Dr. Binu P Thomas, Dr. Sreekanth, Dr. Kathir Joyson D R
Wednesday	Dr. Binu P Thomas, Dr. Samuel C Raj Pallapati, Dr. Anil Mathew, Dr. Kathir Joyson D R
Saturday	Dr. Samuel C Raj Pallapati, Dr. Sreekanth, Dr. Kathir Joyson D R

Nonprivate (General)

Day	Status
Monday	Available
Wednesday	Available
Thursday	Available
Saturday	Available

Ranipet (Kanigapuram) Campus (Surgical Referral OPD - A301)

Private Clinic

Day	Doctors Available
Monday	Dr. Samuel C Raj Pallapati
Tuesday	Dr. Anil Mathew
Wednesday	Dr. Sreekanth
Thursday	Dr. Binu P Thomas
Saturday	Dr. Anil Mathew

Nonprivate (General)

Day	Status
Monday - Saturday	Available

Inpatient Care and Daycare services:
Patients scheduled for surgical procedures may be admitted to either general wards (with or without air conditioning) or private wards, depending on their preference and availability. Typically, patients undergoing routine hand surgery are admitted for three to five days, during which the attending surgeons closely monitor them. Additionally, day-care surgeries are performed concurrently for conditions suitable for such care.

Operation theatre:
Elective hand and peripheral nerve surgeries are conducted in the main theatre complex four days per week, utilizing seven or eight available operating tables. All surgeries are performed under binocular loupe magnification, with operating microscopes used for all microsurgeries. Emergency operations for hand injuries are performed regularly at the dedicated Trauma/Emergency operation theatres at the Ranipet (Kanigapuram) and Town campuses.

SURGERIES FOR THE FOLLOWING ARE DONE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HAND SURGERY:

1. Congenital deformity correction
a. Constriction band syndrome
b. Trigger finger
c. Radial club hand
d. Syndactyly
e. Cleft hand
f. Thumb hypoplasia
g. Free Toe transfer
h. Pollicization
i. Other congenital differences of the hand

2. Compression neuropathies
a. Carpal tunnel syndrome
b. Cubital tunnel syndrome
c. Radial tunnel syndrome
d. Meralgia paresthetica
e. Tarsal tunnel syndrome

3. Deformity correction of the hand and fingers
a. Volkmann’s Ischemic Contracture (VIC) of the forearm
b. Cerebral Palsy of the upper limb
c. Arthritis of the joints of the hand and wrist
d. Poliomyelitis paralysis

4. Fracture of the bones of the hand and wrist
a. Carpal, metacarpal, and phalangeal fractures, nonunion of fractures, malunion of fractures, and their sequelae
b. Complex wrist fractures, dislocations, and their sequelae

5. Hand and forearm tumor management
a. Soft tissue tumors
b. Peripheral nerve and Brachial Plexus tumors
c. Bony tumors

6. Microsurgery
a. Re-implantation of the digits
b. Free tissue transfer - reconstruction of bony, muscle, or skin defects following traumatic loss, removal following cancer, or absence at birth

7. Peripheral Nerve Injuries:
a. Adult/Pediatric Brachial Plexus Injuries
b. Birth-related Brachial Plexus Injuries
c. Nerve injury of the upper or lower limb nerves (Median, Ulnar and Radial Nerves, Sciatic, Common Peroneal and Tibial nerves)

8. Management of hand infection and its sequelae

9. Management of hand burns and their sequelae
a. Contracture of the wrist and hand

10. Surgery of the Hand in Tetraplegia, Stroke, and Cerebral Palsy

11. Soft tissue cover - pedicled and Free flaps and grafts

12. Triangular fibrocartilaginous complex (TFCC) injuries and DRUJ instability

13. Tendon injury
a. Primary repair and secondary reconstruction of flexor and extensor tendons

14. Wrist arthroscopy

HAND THERAPY AND ASSESSMENT

All patients undergoing hand surgery need both postoperative and, in some cases, preoperative supervised rehabilitation. Outpatients requiring hand therapy are advised to seek follow-up care at the Hand Therapy Center (HLPT) in the basement of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation building (Room 660). Patients from the general ward requiring hand therapy during their hospital stay may utilize the Ward Hand Therapy Center adjacent to the S-extension ward. Additionally, a dedicated Hand Assessment Section evaluates preoperative and postoperative hand and nerve function using specialized assessment charts, Weinstein filaments, and other tools. These assessments establish the baseline for further surgical and reconstructive planning.

ELECTRO-MYOGRAPHY

Routine EMG & NCS studies are done at the Neurology EMG centers in the Ranipet or Town campuses. Most patients with nerve disorders and injuries requiring surgery will require a preoperative assessment at one of these centers. Some of these patients would also require post-operative EMG testing to document recovery.
Selective preoperative and postoperative EMG studies are performed at the HLRS EMG lab adjacent to the S Extension ward at the surgeon's discretion.

Training of MBBS students, Post-doctoral Fellows/MCH trainees in Hand Surgery, Orthopedic Postgraduates, Plastic Surgery postgraduates, PMR postgraduates, and Hand physiotherapy technical personnel is a vital aspect of the unit’s responsibility.

The clinical training programs run at the department are:
1. MCH Hand Surgery (Superspeciality program in Hand surgery)
2. Diploma in Hand & Leprosy Physiotherapy Technology (Undergraduate program in Hand physiotherapy)

Sr.professor

Assoc.surgeon

Kathir Joyson D R

Asst.professor

Contact Information

Address :

Department of Hand Surgery (HLRS)
Christian Medical College Vellore
Ida Scudder Road, Vellore – 632004
Tamil Nadu, India

Email us :

hands@cmcvellore.ac.in

Reach us :

04162282924

Working hours :

Mon-Fri: 8 am to 4.30 pm

( Sat : 8 am to 12:30 pm)