Elephant victim gets 110 stitches
Sep 19, 2009
MUSTAFA Batayenda, attacked by an<br>elephant on August 27 as he tended<br>to his garden in Rukungiri, has undergone a major operation at Mulago Hospital, receiving 110 stitches in his face and jaws.
By Lydia Namubiru
MUSTAFA Batayenda, attacked by an
elephant on August 27 as he tended
to his garden in Rukungiri, has undergone a major operation at Mulago Hospital, receiving 110 stitches in his face and jaws.
Oral surgeons on September 8 carried out surgery to repair his torn
jaws and cheeks. In the first operation, Batayenda got 40 stitches to repair his jaw and another 70 were sawn to fix the rest of his face which had been badly ripped.
Some skin and flesh was cut off his thigh to repair the badly torn cheeks. His teeth have been put back in place and a metallic wire has been provided to hold them firm.
He is yet to undergo two other surgical procedures, which will
include repairing his femur, also broken in the attack. He will get a skin grafting operation done by the hospital’s plastic surgeons to replace the skin cut away from his thigh.
The nurse in charge of ward 1A, where Batayenda is admitted, said
that while he was recovering well, he
will also have to stay in hospital until
we remove the stitches, she said.
Batayenda continues to feed through
a tube. Nurses said he will start eating mashed food this week. The Uganda Wildlife Authority will
pay his bills and money for upkeep.
MUSTAFA Batayenda, attacked by an
elephant on August 27 as he tended
to his garden in Rukungiri, has undergone a major operation at Mulago Hospital, receiving 110 stitches in his face and jaws.
Oral surgeons on September 8 carried out surgery to repair his torn
jaws and cheeks. In the first operation, Batayenda got 40 stitches to repair his jaw and another 70 were sawn to fix the rest of his face which had been badly ripped.
Some skin and flesh was cut off his thigh to repair the badly torn cheeks. His teeth have been put back in place and a metallic wire has been provided to hold them firm.
He is yet to undergo two other surgical procedures, which will
include repairing his femur, also broken in the attack. He will get a skin grafting operation done by the hospital’s plastic surgeons to replace the skin cut away from his thigh.
The nurse in charge of ward 1A, where Batayenda is admitted, said
that while he was recovering well, he
will also have to stay in hospital until
we remove the stitches, she said.
Batayenda continues to feed through
a tube. Nurses said he will start eating mashed food this week. The Uganda Wildlife Authority will
pay his bills and money for upkeep.