The National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute has achieved a historic breakthrough by reattaching the severed hands of college student Tasfin Ferdous, whose arms were cut off at the palms by assailants using sharp weapons. The hands were reattached after being recovered nearly 20 hours later—an achievement that specialists say marks a significant milestone in Bangladesh’s medical history.
The incident occurred on 9 November in Tongi, Gazipur, when Tasfin was attacked while returning home after playing. He was rushed to Tongi Hospital for initial treatment, then transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and finally to the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute—over six hours after the attack. By then, he had suffered severe blood loss and his condition had become critical. Despite the usual time limit for reimplantation having already passed, the surgical team led by Assistant Professor Dr Shariful Islam Sharif restored both hands 20 hours and 30 minutes after the incident.
At a press conference held on Wednesday (3 December), institute specialists highlighted the operation as an exceptionally rare achievement in world medical science and the first successful case of its kind in Bangladesh.
Tasfin said he never believed he would regain his completely severed hands. Expressing gratitude, he said the movement in his hands had returned through God’s will and the unwavering dedication of the doctors, and he now hopes to recover fully.
His mother, Afroza Sumi, shared that initially they could not locate the severed hands. They were found only after he was placed in the ambulance bound for Dhaka. She feared that her son would not survive, and described his recovery and the restoration of his hands as a divine blessing and the result of the doctors’ sincere efforts.
Professor Dr Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Director of the institute, stated that they regularly perform limb reattachment surgeries, but many patients arrive too late because the public is not aware of the required timeframe. He stressed that timely arrival greatly increases the chances of full recovery and reminded the public that emergency services are available round the clock.
Doctors again urged that any cases involving severed limbs should be brought to the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute immediately, without delay.
Glive24/SS