Pune sees India’s 1st toe implant surgery

Mumbai: The first toe implant surgery was performed on a 52-year-old man Saturday morning, at the privately-run Sahyadri Super Specialty Hospital, Hadapsar, Pune. The man had an arthritic jo-int damage in the toe, causing agonising pain. The 45-minute-long surgery was broadcasted live to doctors and surgeons.

The patient had been on painkillers, which had stopped working, leading to worsening pain in his big toe for years. He could no longer wear shoes and he was diagno-sed with osteoarthritis.

Dr Sampat Dumbre Patil, consultant foot and ankle surgeon, said, “The patient became the first Indian to undergo the new and revolutionary toe implant surgery .The Cartiva synthetic cartilage implant was performed live. This 45-minute-long surgery was broadcast live to doctors and surgeons. There was another rare ankle repla-cement surgery which was also relayed live.”

“The Cartiva synthetic cartilage implant is a small cylindrical plug, which is inserted betwe-en the two sides of the arthritic joint, providing a durable, low-friction surface for the big toe to move with less pain. The synthetic material repla-ces part of the damaged cartilage,” he said.