A 28-year-old mechanic from Lautoka who was advised that his injured left leg would need to be amputated is now undergoing treatment aimed at saving the limb at Pacific Specialist Healthcare Hospitals in Nadi.
Selvin Prasad of Saweni suffered serious injuries to his left leg after he was hit by a vehicle while riding a bicycle.
According to his wife Sonia Kumar, the family was told at the Lautoka hospital that amputation was the only option because of the severity of his injuries.
The family then sought a second opinion and transferred Prasad to PSH Hospitals in Nadi.
Orthopaedic consultant surgeon Dr Vaigalo Eddie McCaig says Prasad arrived with a limb-threatening injury and has since undergone multiple surgeries.
Dr McCaig says the leg is currently no longer at risk of amputation, although Prasad will require further surgeries and extensive rehabilitation.
He says the immediate priorities are treating the infection, stabilising the leg and carrying out skin grafts.
Dr McCaig says they later plan to use a specialised surgical technique to replace about 10 centimetres of Prasad's damaged tibia, or shin bone.
The procedure will involve temporarily filling the bone defect with bone cement before another operation about two months later to remove the cement and use Prasad's own bone graft to fill the area.
Dr McCaig says the procedure is rare in Fiji but has been performed in the country before.
