Chennai, Apr 26 (IANS): The Jawaharlal Institute of PostGraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) director, Dr Rakesh Aggarwal, has in a statement denied that the institute conducted surgery on the wrong leg of a patient as alleged by some of his relatives.

The director, in a statement said that an accident victim was admitted to JIPMER on April 20 and he was evaluated and operated upon by a team of orthopaedic and cardiovascular surgeons to repair bone fracture and injury to the main artery of one of the legs.

However a vein graft was conducted from the other leg as blood supply to the injured leg was low and insufficient.

Aggarwal said that a large crowd had gathered before the hospital after JIPMER intimated the family of the patient that if blood supply to the leg did not improve, the leg wil have to be amputated. The director in the release stated that the crowd dispersed only after police intervention.

The director said, "There are reports circulating that the surgery was performed on the wrong leg but the sutures on the other limb was owing to the vein graft done in that leg."