KOCHI: For Arjun P, who was fighting breathlessness and lung distress for almost four years, it was almost a crossroad between life and death- travelling all the way from Rajasthan to Kerala for a surgery. On August 24, Arjun P, 20, who lives in Jalore, Rajasthan, developed sudden chest pain and severe breathlessness. He was rushed to the hospital where it was diagnosed that his left lung had ruptured, accumulating a large volume of air and causing increased pressure inside the chest. The doctors immediately put a tube in his chest to decompress the air.
After three days, the drain was removed and he recovered. However, on August 27, he developed similar symptoms again, and a tube was once again inserted. But his discomfort continued. Later it was found that he had a large hole in the lung which had to be repaired through surgery. Arjun experienced the same problem in the other lung three years back, while on a holiday in Kerala. Even back then, chest tubes were inserted, but it didn’t provide much relief. He was referred to Dr Nasser Yusuf, cardiothoracic surgeon for further management. He underwent surgery successfully and thereafter travelled back home to Rajasthan.
Recalling this traumatic experience, Arjun’s father Rajan P, who runs a private school in Jalore, decided to seek the treatment of Dr Nasser Yusuf again. With a tube in his chest, Arjun and family travelled by road for almost seven hours to reach Ahmedabad so they can catch a flight to Kochi. Despite the medical certificate issued by the hospital stating he was fit to travel, he was refused entry by airport officials because of the tube in his chest.
After a series of discussions with the airport authorities that lasted 24 hours, Arjun was permitted to board a flight to Kochi. On arrival, he got himself admitted to Sunrise Hospital. Upon routine checkup, he was diagnosed with Covid. This came as a surprise to the family, as they were coming from a green zone. He was put in institutional quarantine and treatment for 14 days. Even after he was cured, however, the problem of air bubbling in his chest remained. He had, by now become weak and malnourished. The infection had set in and pus started draining out through the tube. Surgery was his only hope.
An emergency surgery was performed on September 18 by Dr Nasser. They diagnosed pus in the chest cavity. The lung was densely stuck to the heart with multiple Bullae (Balloon like formations) on the lung surface. This was the cause of air leak and bubbling. The pus was completely drained, the lung freed, multiple bullae removed and the hole in the lung repaired. The patient made a remarkable recovery and was discharged after a week.
According to Dr Nasser, the surgery was further complicated by Covid which primarily affects and damages the lung at times leading to death.“Operating on Covid patients is a huge challenge. Usually, open surgery (30 cm long incision) is done, accompanied by severe pain and delayed recovery. In Arjun’s case, we successfully performed a Keyhole surgery (Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery ),” said Dr Nasser. Dr Shaji P G (Anesthetist), Dr Vineeth Alexander (Pulmonologist), and Dr Jithin Jose (Intensivist) were also part of the medical team.