Greater Noida: 4-year-old girl saved from amputation after neglected injury

Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 16 : In a remarkable display of clinical excellence and compassion, doctors at a hospital in Greater Noida successfully saved a 4-year-old girl's foot from amputation after she suffered a neglected, complex injury that had gone untreated for nearly a month.
The young patient, hailing from a farming family in Madhya Pradesh, presented a rare combination of severe complications -- including multiple bone fractures, extensive soft tissue crush injury, gangrene, and infection -- making it challenging to save the limb.
The family initially sought treatment elsewhere but was unable to get adequate care due to time constraints and accessibility challenges. By the time the child reached the hospital, her injury had progressed dangerously, with the local tissue at risk of irreversible damage and the limb already considered for amputation.
The case demanded a multidisciplinary approach, which the doctors at Sharda Care Healthcity adopted. A coordinated effort between Dr Tanmoy Roy, Senior Consultant in Plastic Surgery, and Dr Nishit Palo, Orthopaedic Sports Medicine and Joint Replacement Surgeon, led to a two-stage surgical intervention.
The first surgery involved internal fracture fixing, external stabilisation using a metal fixator, and aggressive debridement to remove infected tissue. This was followed by intensive wound care and a successful skin grafting procedure, which helped restore soft tissue coverage and promote healing.
Dr Nishit Palo, Orthopaedic Sports Medicine and Joint Replacement Surgeon, said, "This wasn't just a routine case. The presence of multiple fractures, advanced gangrene, severe infection, and soft tissue crush injury -- all at once -- made it an extremely rare and critical situation. Gangrene, if not treated promptly, can lead to systemic infection and may require limb or even life-saving amputation. In this case, we used advanced fixation techniques to stabilise the bones and remove necrotic tissue through meticulous debridement. Timely surgical intervention helped us salvage the foot. Such cases require not just surgical expertise but coordinated multidisciplinary care to ensure both functional and aesthetic recovery."
Dr Tanmoy Roy added, "Foot reconstruction in such a complex case involves layered repair - from infection control and tissue salvage to eventual skin grafting. When gangrene is involved, every hour matters as bacteria can rapidly spread to surrounding tissues."
"Our approach included multiple dressings, soft tissue coverage, and ultimately, skin grafting to restore integrity. We believe every life deserves a fighting chance, irrespective of economic background. In this case, we extended continued care to the child despite financial constraints -- because saving a limb means preserving a future," he added.