NOTICE: The Taxi stand/drop-off point at the Medical Centre will be closed on November/December 24. Alternative drop-off locations are available at the Medical Centre (after the carpark gantry) or at the Main Lobby of Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

Dr. Dr Andrew Yam Kean Tuck

Hand Surgery

Credentials BMBS (Flinders), MMed(Surg), MRCSEd, FAMS (Hand Surg)
Language English, Mandarin Chinese, Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia
Info

Graduated from the Flinders University of South Australia in 1997, became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) in 2003 and obtained a Master of Medicine (Surgery) from the National University of Singapore in 2004. From 2004-2007 trained in Hand Surgery at Singapore General Hospital and National University Hospital.

In 2008-2009, completed advanced training in Peripheral Nerve and Brachial Plexus Surgery at the prestigious Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, London. Completed workshops on cerebral palsy, tetraplegia and brachial plexus reconstruction at internationally renowned centres in Taiwan, France and Switzerland.

Director of the Peripheral Nerve and Paralytic Upper Limb Service at Singapore General Hospital 2009-2012. Ran the

Birth brachial plexus and upper limb spasticity clinic at KK Women’s and Childrens’ Hospital from 2010-2015. Associate Program Director of the SingHealth Residency Program for Hand Surgery from 2011 to 2012. Awarded several awards for health service quality and teaching excellence.

Published more than 40 scientific articles and book chapters covering a wide spectrum of hand and nerve disorders in international journals and textbooks. Conducted and mentored award-winning research projects.

Active in teaching and promoting peripheral nerve surgery and reconstructive surgery for paralytic upper limb conditions in developing countries, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Dubai and Cambodia. Between 2015 to present, member of a private international collaboration of surgeons from the UK and Singapore training Cambodian surgeons in brachial plexus and paralytic upper limb surgery at the Children’s Surgical Center, a non-government charity hospital in Phnom Penh, successfully establishing the first brachial plexus surgery center in Cambodia.

Served as Chairman of the Medical Advisory Boards of Westpoint Hospital and Parkway East Hospital, Vice-Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of Parkway East Hospital, and member of the CME committee of Mount Alvernia Hospital.

Publications
  1. J So, A Yam, Cheah WK, CK Kum, PMY Goh.

Risk Factors Related to Operative Mortality and Morbidity in Patients Undergoing Emergency

Gastrectomy.

British Journal of Surgery 2000, 87:1702-1707.

  1. LC Teoh, A Yam.

Anatomic Reconstruction of the Distal Radioulnar Ligaments: Long Term Results

J Hand Surg 2005, 30B: 185-193

  1. A Yam, TC Tan, BH Lim.

Intraoperative Interfragmentary Radial Nerve Compression in a Medially Plated Humeral Shaft Fracture: A Case Report

J Orthop Trauma 2005, 19: 491-493

  1. Loo HW, A Yam, Tan TC, Peng YP, Teoh LC

Severe Upper Limb Complications from Parenteral Abuse of Subutex

Ann Acad Med Sing 2005 34(9): 575-578

  1. Pang HN, Teoh LC, A Yam, JYL Lee, M Puhaindran, ABH Tan

Factors affecting the prognosis of pyogenic flexor tenosynovitis

J Bone Joint Surg (Am) 2007, 89: 1742-8

  1. H Chim, AK Yam, AY Chin, LC Teoh

Complex Carpal Dissociation with open, complete and divergent Trapezium, Capitate and

Hamate dislocation: A Case Report

J Hand Surg (Am) 2007, 32(9):1363-1366

  1. H Chim, A Yam, LC Teoh

Elbow ganglion arising from medial epicondyle pseudoarthrosis

Hand Surgery 2007, 12(3):155-158

  1. A Yam, Tan SH, A Tan

A novel method of rapid nailbed repair using 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (Dermabond)

Plast Reconstr Surg 2008, 121(3):148e-149e

  1. CH Wong, AK Yam, AB Tan, C Song

Approach to Debridement in Necrotizing Fasciitis

 American Journal of Surgery 2008, 196(3):e19-24

  1. Wong CH, A Yam, Lee JYL, Teoh LC

The free digital flap: An ideal flap for reconstructing large finger defects when regional flaps   are contraindicated

Annals of Plastic Surgery 2008, 60(3):254-259

  1. H Chim, AK Yam, FC Yong

Multifocal deep space hand infection secondary to hematogenous seeding from

chronic epididymoorchitis

   J Hand Surg European volume 2008, 33(2):221-222

  1. GCW Kang, A Yam

Vacuum assisted closure of a large palmar defect after debriding a midpalmar tuberculous

abscess

International Wound Journal 2008, 5(1):45-48

  1. A Ozturk, A Yam, SI Chin, TS Heong, F Helvacioglu, A Tan

Synovial cell culture and tissue engineering of a tendon synovial cell biomembrane

Journal of Biomedical Materials Research A 2008, 84(4):1120-1126

  1. GJ Lim, A Yam, JYL Lee, LC Teoh

The spiral flap for fingertip resurfacing: short and long term results

J Hand Surg (Am) 2008, 33(3):340-347

  1. A Yam, YP Peng, RWH Pho

The “palmar pivot flap” for resurfacing palmar lateral defects of the fingers.

J Hand Surg (Am) 2008, 33(10):1889-1893

  1. GCW Kang, A Yam, JYL Lee

A tuberculous midpalmar abscess of the hand due to reactivation of previous pulmonary tuberculosis

Ann Acad Med Sing 2008, 37(11):982-983

  1. H Chim, AK Yam, SC Tay, LC Teoh

Alternative Aesthetic Incisions for Fixation of Hand Fractures

Plas Recon Surg 2009, 123(2): 82e-83e

  1. GJS Lim, A Yam, SC Tay, FC Yong, LC Teoh

A split-EPB tendon sling for chronic post-traumatic palmar instability of the thumb metacarpophalangeal joint

J Hand Surg European Vol 2009, 34(3):358-362.

  1. A Yam

Re: Purulent Flexor Tenosynovitis: Factors Influencing the Functional Outcome (letter to the

Editor)

J Hand Surg European Vol 2009, 34(3):412-413.

  1. A Yam, S Fullilove, M Fox, M Sinisi

The supination deformity and associated upper limb deformities in severe birth lesions of the brachial plexus

J Bone Joint Surg (Br) 2009, 91(4): 511-516.

  1. M Puhaindran, A Yam, A Chin, A Lluch, M Garcia-Elias

Wrist arthroscopy: beware the novice

J Hand Surg European Vol 2009, 34(4): 540-541.

  1. P McNamara, A Yam, M Horwitz

Biceps muscle trauma at birth with pseudotumour formation

J Bone Joint Surg (Br) 2009, 91(8): 1086-1089

  1. A Yam, LC Teoh, FC Yong

Necrotising fasciitis after corticosteroid injection for trigger finger: a severe complication from a “safe” procedure

J Hand Surg European Vol 34 No 5 Pg 689-690

  1. EM Chew, AKT Yam, SC Tay

Simultaneous Intratendinous Ganglion and Synovial Cyst of the Wrist: A Case Report

J Hand Surg European Vol 2010, 35(1): 80-81

  1. A Yam, LC Teoh

The Discount Store Artificial Nail: An Ideal Splint For Nailbed Repairs

J Hand Surg European Vol 2010, 35(6): 512-513

  1. GCW Kang, AWT Gan, A Yam, ABH Tan, SC Tay.

Mycobacterium abscessus hand infections in immunocompetent fish handlers: Case report.

J Hand Surg (Am) 2010, 35: 1142-1145

  1. CW Chong, A Yam.

Compression of the superficial branch of the radial nerve by calcinosis cutis resulting in neuropathic pain.

J Hand Surg Eur Vol November 2010 35: 766-767

  1. S Sreedharan, A Yam, LC Teoh, SC Tay

Self-reported outcome following anterior transposition of ulnar nerve in the elderly.

Hand Surgery, Vol. 15, No. 3 (2010) 169-172

  1. G Xu, A Yam, LC Teoh, FC Yong, SC Tay

Epidemiology and management of surgical upper limb infections in patients with end-stage renal failure

Ann Acad Med Sing 2010, 39(9): 670-674

  1. Tan SWJ, A Yam

Spontaneous partial posterior interosseous nerve palsy not caused by an adjacent ganglion  Hand Surgery, Vol 16, No. 2 2011

  1. Lim R, Tay SC, Yam A. Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (Masson’s tumour) of the finger presenting as a digital nerve schwannoma.

J Hand Surg Eur Vol. 2011 Sep;36(7):612-3.

  1. Chim H, Malkoc F, Tay SC, Yam A, Teoh LC. Technique of olecranon bone grafting for

surgical fixation of scaphoid fractures.

J Hand Surg Am. 2011 Jul;36(7):1220-3. Erratum in: J Hand Surg Am. 2011 Sep;36(9):1567.

  1. Lim R, Tay SC. Yam A. Radial nerve injury during double plating of a displaced

supracondylar/intercondylar humerus fracture.

J Hand Surg Am 2012, 37A(4):669-672

  1. Kang GCW, Yam A, Phoon ES, Lee JYL, Teoh LC. The hook plate technique for fixation of

phalangeal avulsion fractures.

J Bone Joint Surg Am 2012;94:e72(1-6)

  1. Gan AWT, Neo PY, He M, Yam AKT, Chong AKS, Tay SC. A biomechanical comparison of 3

loop suture materials in a 6-strand flexor tendon repair technique.

J Hand Surg Am 2012, 37A:1830-1834.

  1. Mack P, Yam AKT, Chin AYH. Hypnotherapy: A Forgotten Modality in Managing Chronic

Post-Traumatic Upper Limb Pain.

Ann Acad Med Sing 2013; 42(7):361-362

  1. Jiang J, Mat Jais IS, Yam AK, McGrouther DA, Tay SC. A Biomechanical Comparison

of Different Knots Tied on Fibrewire Suture.

J Hand Surg Asian Pac Vol. 2017 Mar;22(1):65-69. doi: 10.1142/S0218810417500113. PMID:

28205484

  1. Chung SR, Yap RT, Tuck AYK. Minimally Invasive Palmaris Longus Abductorplasty

for Severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Tech Hand Up Extrem Surg. 2017 Dec;21(4):149-154. doi: 10.1097/BTH.0000000000000176.

PMID:28914668

 

Book Chapters

KY Chew, A Yam, V Tay

Medialis Pedis Flap. In BK Tan, J Lim, C Song, CH Wong, C Tham (Eds). Flaps: Techniques and Applications, 2008, pp 54-57.

A Yam, BH Lim

Anatomic Repairs:The Four Ligament Reconstruction (4-LR) for distal radio-ulnar joint instability. In Greenberg J (Ed) Ulnar-Sided Wrist Pain: A Master Skills Publication, pp151-159. American Society for Surgery of the Hand, 2013.

Achievements

SingHealth HMDP Fellowship 2007

Associations

Singapore Medical Association

Academy of Medicine Singapore

Singapore Society for Hand Surgery

Global Nerve Foundation

Awards and Honours

SGH Surgical STaR Inspiring Teacher Award 2010, 2011

Singapore Health Service Quality Award (Gold) 2011, 2012

Singapore Medical Journal Reviewer Recognition Award 2013

Singhealth Service with a Heart Award 2015

Fellowships and Accreditations

SInghealth HMDP Fellowship in Peripheral Nerve Surgery at Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore 2008-2009