Editor's Review

KNH said one of the surgeries was on a four-year-old boy, the world's youngest known recipient of Targeted Sensory Reinnervation (TSR).

Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) etched its name in global medical history books after performing two pioneering nerve reconstruction surgeries.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, November 10, KNH said one of the surgeries was on the world's youngest known recipient of Targeted Sensory Reinnervation (TSR), a four-year-old boy.

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The boy, who hails from Kirinyaga County, lost his left hand in a chaff-cutter accident while playing with another child.  The surgery lasted for five and a half hours.

"Following an unsuccessful attempt to reattach the hand and subsequent amputation, he was identified as a suitable candidate for TSR," the statement read.

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File image of surgeons at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)

KNH explained that TSR is a specialised procedure that redirects sensory nerves to create the potential for patients to perceive sensations such as pressure, vibration, heat and cold through appropriately integrated prosthetic limbs.

It added that its transhumeral variant applies the technique to patients with above-elbow amputations, and the TSR may also help address complications such as painful neuromas and phantom limb sensations.

The second surgery was a transhumeral variant on a patient who was the third in the world to undergo it.

The 43-year-old man had lost limbs through traumatic injuries, marking a significant advancement in microsurgery and reconstructive care.

He underwent the five-hour Transhumeral TSR procedure on October 30. KNH confrime that both procedures were covered by the Social Health Authority (SHA).

SHA also covered post-operative care and clinical monitoring for both patients, whohave since been discharged and are recuperating at home, with continued clinical follow-up and rehabilitation,

Dr. Wabwire described the procedures as a significant milestone in microsurgery, noting that redirecting sensory nerves was opening new possibilities for patients living with limb loss.

KNH Director of Clinical Services, Dr Joel Lessan, said the achievement demonstrated the value of multidisciplinary teamwork, international collaboration and investment in medical innovation

On his part, the hospital's KNH Chief Executive Officer, Dr Richard Lesiyampe, said the milestone reaffirmed the Hospital's position as a leading referral and teaching institution capable of delivering complex, world-class specialised procedures locally.

The milestone came weeks after KNH successfully conducted Africa’s first-ever tubeless tracheal reconstruction.

The  five-hour operation was performed on September 24 at the hospital’s Prime Care Centre on 26-year-old Dennis Kaiser Omondi, who had struggled with breathing difficulties for nearly two decades.