Paediatric Plastic Surgeon Creates New Digit For Queens Baby Born Without Right Thumb

Brandon Torres, a 1-year-old Queens baby boy born without a right thumb will soon be able to grab, pinch and give a thumbs up — with both hands, DailyNews reports.

According to the report, a paediatric plastic surgeon at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, L.I., created a new thumb for him by moving his index finger to create a different digit.

Dr. Nicholas Bastidas first met Brandon, who has an extremely rare condition called Duane-radial ray syndrome, in the neonatal intensive care unit at Cohen when he was a day old.

There have only been about 30 other known cases worldwide of this genetic disorder, which also caused Brandon’s left thumb to be small, Bastidas said.

The family learned about Brandon’s condition only after hospital staff did a routine count of their newborn’s fingers and toes.

Bastidas recommended surgery once the boy was old enough because the thumb is crucial for grasping and pinching.

“The thumb is the most important finger in the hand,” Bastidas said. “There’s actually a pretty significant part of the brain that’s dedicated to thumb use.”

Brandon — who loves Cheerios, cruising around the room by holding on to the wall and playing with his big brother Sebastian — wore a cast for a month and is now learning to use his hands differently.

“It’s going to change his life,” said Bastidas. “It’s the most rewarding part of the whole thing.”

Brandon’s parents, who live in Flushing, say they’re grateful their active little toddler will have more dexterity. He’s still getting used to his new thumb.

Torres and his wife Yuli Ramirez, a banker, tried to understand their son’s challenges by pinning back their own thumbs.

“When I left the hospital, I actually put my thumb away, just to see how my life would be — driving, moving the volume on the radio, texting,” said Torres. “It was impossible.”

To reshape Brandon’s hand, Bastidas used a surgical technique called “pollicization,” shortening the toddler’s right index finger and rotating it into the thumb position.

During the three-hour surgery on April 27, he used microscopic dissection to lengthen and preserve the boy’s existing blood vessels.

He used a tourniquet so that Brandon didn’t lose any blood, transferring arteries, veins and muscles along with the bones to create a new finger.

“He did great. He was running around like a nut the next day,” said Bastidas.

Brandon is getting physical therapy to learn how to use his new, right thumb, and will need a separate procedure to transfer a tendon on his other hand and boost mobility in his left thumb, Bastidas said.