National Hand Surgery Day

-Written by Dr. Anjali Mediboina, House Surgeon, ASRAM

Yes, you read that right. There is a day dedicated to Hand Surgeries, and it is observed on August 23rd every year. Officiated by the council of the Indian Society for Surgery of Hand (ISSH) in 2021, the day is celebrated as a way to recognize and bring recognition to the measures taken to prevent impairments of the hand. 

At first, when I took up this article, I was really surprised as to why there would be a special day dedicated to hand surgery, but, as I thought about it, a life without hands would be extremely difficult to manage- basic daily functions would be difficult and even more importantly, for people such as farmers, laborers and daily wage workers, whose income depends on their hands, any injury to their hand would truly take a toll. So, yes, preserving the hands and their fine movements is a skill that should be recognized and appreciated. 

Aside from creating awareness about the injuries one can sustain, the day was also established to bring light to the training needed by healthcare workers responding to the accident site; control of blood loss, decontamination and assessment of the injury and splinting are all essential steps that also determine the extent of surgery required. 

To quote  Dr. Ravi Kumar Mahajan, the president of the ISSH: 

Rapid and accurate initial evaluation and treatment can minimize the long-term effects of the injury. Therefore, it is important to spread awareness about the kind of first-aid that must be given to a patient suffering from a hand injury, before he can be treated by a hand surgeon.”

The organization also wants to spread knowledge regarding the management of simple hand injuries and prevention of disabilities after the injury.

In case you were wondering, here are the different surgeries performed on the hand: 

• Skin grafting
• Closed reduction and fixation (as in fractures)
• Tendon repairs
• Nerve repairs
• Fasciotomy
• Surgical drainage/debridement
• Joint replacement
• Replantation

For more information, you can visit  the organization’s official website: www.issh.org.