NEW DELHI: In a shocking incident, doctors at a city hospital saved a three-year-old boy after a 4-inch-thick iron rod ripped a 6 cm hole in his arm, causing continuous loss of his blood which worsened his condition putting him at the risk of amputation.
The boy went out with his family members to shop on an e-rickshaw. The boy was waiting for his parents and grandparents in the rickshaw. The vehicle started which scared him and he jumped off from it. He fell on an electric pole which had an iron angle attached to it causing the grievous injury.
The contact force was so powerful that the rod quickly severed the primary artery giving blood to the left arm, rendering it numb and limp. The other side of the shoulder was also injured. The parents took him to Aakash Hospital where after basic cleaning, a few tests were conducted and it was found that the boy’s haemoglobin had plummeted to 4 from a normal range of 14 due to substantial blood loss.
The injury cut off the complete blood flow to the left arm. As a result, doctors could not detect a pulse in his left hand. Commenting on the complex surgery, Dr Godara said, Consultant, Hand, Wrist, and Reconstructive Microsurgeon at Aakash hospital said the surgery was extremely difficult because of the child’s age.
“Because of the child’s age, the surgery was extremely complex and difficult. Even a minor mistake could have resulted in the child losing his arm. To reestablish the blood supply, we extracted a vein from his foot and used it as a connecting artery. The vein served as the primary artery, saving the child’s limb.”
He added that the boy was brought to us within 20 minutes of the accident but he was in a critical condition. “The child is doing perfectly fine. He is already able to move his hand and we have removed the plaster as well,” he said.