Hand Reconstruction Helps Patients Return to their Normal Lives

The ultimate goal of hand reconstruction is to restore the normal utility, and then appearance, of the hand. Hand reconstruction proved crucial in the emergency case of West Palm Beach resident and student athlete Will Claunch. It was just another ordinary day at football practice at Claunch’s high school. While making a tackle, the middle finger of his right hand got caught on his opponent’s uniform lace, and subsequently ripped the skin and exposed tendon on his right hand. Claunch was rushed to the hospital immediately.

He faced serious threat of amputation of that finger on his right hand. If that were the case, Will Claunch would never be able to return to sports and his promising hope of athletic scholarship.

Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Fredric Barr performed emergency overnight surgery to restore Claunch’s hand. Dr. Barr used a unique technique that attached Claunch’s finger to tissue in his lower stomach. If the blood flow took, the finger could be saved. After two weeks, Dr. Barr cut the finger free. For the first time, Claunch could move his hand comfortably – and return to sports.

The technique was first employed in India two thousand years ago and was considered the first kind of plastic surgery ever used. Thanks to modern technology, Will Claunch regained use of his right hand. Click here to see the NBC Channel 5 news story.

Dr. Fredric Barr is one of the finest providers of plastic and reconstructive surgery in Palm Beach County, Florida. With a successful track record of over two decades in the area, Palm Beach Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery is the surgical specialist that even physicians choose.