RIYADH, 29 April 2008 — Surgeons at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh have undertaken a second operation on Al-Ashdaf Muhammad Al-Sharari, a seven-year-old boy whose two arms were torn off by an irrigation machine at a farm in Al-Jouf three weeks ago.
However, the surgeons ruled out the possibility of reattaching the boy’s severed arms because of infection and said that he needs a skin transplant and would only be able to lead a normal life with artificial limbs.
“Since Al-Ashdaf’s skin on the neck and back has been seriously infected, his injuries will heal only after a skin transplant,” a surgeon told Al-Eqtisadiah daily.
The boy’s father, Muhammad Al-Sharari, said, “Despite his condition, he is in good spirits. He stayed at hospitals in Tabarjal and Sakaka without getting the right treatment until a few days ago when a philanthropist took him to a specialist hospital in Riyadh.”
He added, “No effective treatment was possible at the hospital in Sakaka because it lacked the facilities and specialist doctors.”
Speaking about the accident, Al-Sharari said, “I came to the scene after hearing my son’s cries. The sight was shocking. The two ripped arms were hanging on the machine and Al-Ashdaf was stuck. Three workers had passed out. I turned off the machine and rushed him to hospital.”
Al-Sharari expressed his frustration at the lack of advanced facilities in the region. “If only there were good hospitals in our region, my son’s condition would not have been this bad. It’s a pity that the Al-Jouf region, with a huge population, has no specialist hospital to treat accidents such as this,” Al-Sharari said with a sigh.
Al-Ashdaf’s mother said the surgeons could not make a skin transplant last Wednesday as scheduled because the wounds were infected. “He can’t sleep because of the pain and irritation,” she added.
Dr. Fuad Hashim, consultant plastic surgeon at the hospital, said Al-Ashdaf’s condition was stable. “His right arm could be substituted with an artificial limb. But, not even prostheses would help his left side as the stump has been infected and damaged beyond repair. The prosthesis department will decide when and how the artificial limbs will be fitted,” he added.
