BHUBANESWAR: A construction worker, who was impaled by an iron rod after falling from a height at the work site, has got a new lease of life with doctors at the Apollo Hospitals here successfully removing the metal from his body.
The severely injured person, Santosh Nayak (40), was rushed to the hospital late on Friday night. He had fallen from a height at the work site and impaled himself on a six-ft steel rod. He was brought to the hospital with the rod piercing him through the front chest and jutting out at his back.
With the patient unable to lie down and in severe pain, no CT scan or investigation could be done. He was sped into OT where anaesthetist Dr Samarjit Bisoi and Dr Usha Jagannathan had to anaesthetise him in sitting position.
Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Debashish Nayak and general surgeon Dr Tanmay Panda operated on him, only to find that the rod had passed through liver, diaphragm and lungs in succession. The surgeons struggled for two hours to remove the rod from his body. They were also able to successfully repair the injuries to the liver, lungs and diaphragm.
“It was race against time to save the life of the patient, who had come to the hospital with severe injury with a steel rod sticking out from his chest on right side. The success can be attributed to the speed and teamwork by all departments and staff concerned,” Dr Nayak said.
He emphasised on speed in bringing such cases to the hospital as time is the most critical aspect in saving lives. No attempt should be made to remove the foreign body at all since this could prove fatal. “The patient is under close observation but is showing signs of recovery,” Nayak said.