The Shalimov Center explained how they saved a Ukrainian soldier's limb from amputation
Kyiv • UNN
A Ukrainian soldier who suffered a severe injury at the front managed to avoid amputation of his arm thanks to a complex operation at the Shalimov Center. He underwent transplantation of a vascularized fragment of the fibula.

At the National Scientific Center for Surgery and Transplantation named after O. O. Shalimov, a successful operation was performed that helped a soldier avoid amputation of his upper limb after a serious mine-explosive injury. This was reported by the center on Facebook, reports UNN.
Details
According to the Shalimov Center, Ihor, a serviceman, joined the Territorial Defense Forces at the beginning of the war and was sent to eastern Ukraine, where he served in the Kharkiv, Sumy regions, as well as in Bakhmut and Lyman. While serving in aerial reconnaissance, he suffered a complex mine-explosive injury that led to damage to the soft and bone tissues of the shoulder and the formation of a significant bone defect.
The man underwent multi-stage treatment, first in front-line hospitals, then he was transferred to the Lviv hospital, where specialists performed closure of the soft tissue defect.
"Areas of crushed bone were removed due to the impossibility of restoration and infection, thus forming a bone defect of about 15-17 centimeters," the statement said.
Then the serviceman was redirected for treatment abroad. However, further recovery was impossible due to infection and bone damage, which threatened amputation of the upper limb.
"The patient turned to the National Scientific Center for Surgery and Transplantation named after O. O. Shalimov and was hospitalized in the department of microvascular, plastic and reconstructive surgery," the statement said.
"In order to replace this defect, our surgeons, led by the head of the department, Yevhen Volodymyrovych Simulyk, took a vascularized fragment of the fibula 17 cm long with a complex of soft tissues, without which it would not have been possible to close the bone graft due to the lack of covering tissues," the Shalimov Center reports.
Also, Professor I. M. Kurinnyy from the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine was involved to perform complex fixation of the transplanted bone fragment.
"A month has passed since the surgery, now Ihor moves freely on two lower limbs. The supporting ability of the limb from which the graft was taken is fully preserved. In this way, thanks to the lower leg, the upper limb was preserved, that is, amputation at a high level was avoided," experts say.
Now the patient will undergo the next stage of treatment aimed at restoring mobility in the elbow joint.