A team of Kenyan surgeons at Kenyatta National Hospital has achieved a world first by restoring the sensation of touch to the stump of an amputated arm, a milestone in the medical field, offering new hope to amputees globally.
Known as Transhumeral Targeted Sensory Reinnervation (TSR), the procedure, performed on April 29 on Moses Mwendwa, whose left arm was amputated earlier this year, took seven hours.
It involved the reconnecting of nerves severed during the patient’s amputation to nearby skin, allowing the brain to feel as if the missing limb is still intact.
“When I touched the skin near my stump and felt it in my fingers, I was stunned. It felt like a part of me had returned,” the 22-year-old university student said.
Plastic surgeon Prof. Ferdinand Nang’ole and Dr. Benjamin Wabwire, alongside visiting Italian specialist Prof. Alexander Gardetto led the team of surgeons hailed for the first ever procedure.
The team included anaesthesiologists, surgical nurses, and plastic surgery specialists, including Dr. Christine Nyabuto, Dr. Rachel Machiya, Dr. Dorsi Jowi, and anaesthetists Dr. John Mwanzia and Dr. Ruth Nyambura. The nursing unit was coordinated by Mr. Erick Odongo, with Ms. Mercy Chepkemoi, Ms. Esther Munga, and Ms. Catherine Muthengi offering critical support in theatre.
According toKNH CEO Dr. Evanson Kamuri the accomplishment as a triumph of innovation and teamwork.
“This is a milestone that cements our position as a leader in specialised care and medical research in Africa.”
