A 69-year-old male taxi driver in Mumbai underwent an eight-hour microsurgical procedure after an elevator accident resulted in traumatic amputation of his thumb. The injury occurred when his hand became trapped between the elevator doors after the lift unexpectedly began moving. The thumb sustained an extensive avulsion injury, with damage involving the skin, soft tissue, muscle, tendon, ligament, and bone. What happened next proved critical.

The patient's family preserved the amputated thumb in moist gauze placed inside a plastic bag and transported him promptly for emergency treatment. The condition of the amputated part allowed the surgical team to proceed with replantation. Avulsion injury complicated replantation Unlike a clean-cut amputation, an avulsion injury can cause extensive disruption and stretching of multiple tissue structures. This makes microsurgical restoration of…