UAMS Doctor Performs Rare Hand Reattachment Surgery

As soon as  she got the call, Laura Delhommer knew it was bad news. Her husband, Louis, had been injured on the job. But this injury would require more than just a few stitches. This would change their lives forever.

A steelworker at his son-in-law’s company, Pine Bluff Ironworks, Louis Delhommer spent most of his adult life operating industrial-strength saws and heavy equipment. Through the years he had seen his share of cuts and scrapes, but nothing like he would experience that day in July 2005.

After having cut about 40 pieces of sheet metal, the 58-year-old Delhommer witnessed the unthinkable as the band saw he was operating cut straight through his left hand, completely severing four fingers and most of his palm. His thumb remained attached to his wrist.

“I just couldn’t believe it happened,” he said. “I guess the blade just didn’t go up high enough. It was off to the races after that.”

Immediately after the accident, Delhommer’s coworkers packed the hand in ice and rushed him to the emergency room at Jefferson Regional Medical Center (JRMC) in Pine Bluff. The staff began contacting other hospitals in the area to find one that could handle the complicated surgery. With only a six-hour timeframe for the operation to take place, the first hospital they located was in Louisville, Ky. Then they called UAMS.

Widely recognized as one of the region’s leading hand surgeons, Dr. Randy Bindra eagerly accepted the call from JRMC. He instructed the ER physicians to pack the hand in a wet sponge, place it in a plastic bag and put it in a container of ice water. After a one-hour ambulance ride to UAMS, Delhommer’s surgery began at about 1 p.m., only two hours after the accident had occurred. The operation lasted about eight hours.

“Reattaching a hand is a challenging and delicate procedure,” Bindra said. “It is rare to see a clean amputation, such as we saw with Mr. Delhommer. We are thrilled with the success of the surgery and anticipate a good recovery.” Bindra is director of the UAMS Center for Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery and professor of orthopaedic hand surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine. 

While Delhommer is not expected to regain full use of his hand, he will be able to do most everyday tasks within about six months. And while that may not include playing his guitar again, Delhommer is hopeful about what his future holds. “I’m one of the very fortunate people in the world,” he said. “Everybody had my best interest at heart. It went beautifully.”

Read more about the UAMS Department of Orthopaedics at www.uams.edu/ortho