Chinese doctors help save accident victim's limb

Zim Now Correspondent

Christopher is a 35-year-old local man from Harare, Zimbabwe. He was the main breadwinner of his family before a road crash.

The injuries were clinically diagnosed as comminuted fracture of his left tibia and fibula. However, due to the lack of effective treatment, the fracture healed in a malunion, causing limited mobility.

A malunion happens when a broken bone heals in the wrong position. Instead of aligning properly, the bone might be crooked, twisted, or shorter than it should be. This can cause pain, weakness, or difficulty moving the affected area. It usually happens if a fracture isn’t treated correctly or if the bone shifts during healing.

Christopher was resigned to suffering. Then found the China medical team!

Dr. Chen Junpeng, a member of 21st China Medical Team, successfully completed a limb-saving and corrective surgery on Christopher at Parirenyatwa Hospital.

Christopher now has hope for restored limb function and looks forward to going back to work.

When Christopher first came to the hospital, Dr. Chen Junpeng carefully considered the patient’s actual condition and local medical equipment resources.

Dr. Chen communicated repeatedly with the patient and local medical staff, discussed the surgical plan, confirmed the preparation of the required surgical instruments and equipment, gained the patient’s trust and cooperation, boosted his confidence.

Dr. Chen then developed the best surgical plan: iliac bone grafting, correction of old malunion of left tibia fracture, and intramedullary nail fixation.

As expected, the surgical process was very challenging. Due to the long duration of the fracture and severe malunion, a large amount of callus needed to be removed, and there was significant limb shortening and soft tissue contracture requiring release.

Fracture reduction and fixation were extremely difficult. Thanks to the skilled operation of the orthopedic experts of the China medical team working with their local counterparts, and the thorough preoperative preparation, the surgery progressed smoothly and was successfully completed.

During the postoperative visit, the patient’s condition was stable and he recovered well. He was very satisfied with the treatment effect and gave us a thumbs-up, saying, “China medical team, Excellent!”

“When I saw the patient’s satisfied smile and the approving looks from the local colleagues, I felt incredibly proud and fulfilled. I am grateful to be a member of the China medical team! I will continue to maintain great enthusiasm and effort to tell Chinese stories and pass on China-Zimbabwe friendship through concrete actions,” Dr. Chen Junpeng said.