Sunday, July 18, 2010

Singareni Collieries - Iron rod pierces through the stomach: It was a miraculous escape for Rajendra Prasad

2010
By Syed Akbar
It was nothing short of a rebirth for assistant foreman P Rajendra Prasad when doctors at  Singareni area hospital in Godavarikhani surgically removed a six-foot thick iron rod  that had pierced through his abdomen.
Like on any other day, Rajendra Prasad on June 28 got into a trolley with 60 other  Singareni workers to go to 10A underground coal mine for duty. But fate had willed  otherwise and the trolley fell with a thud 350 metres down after the ropes supporting it  snapped. Two workers died on the spot and an iron rod pierced through the abdomen of Rajendra Prasad.
Doctors credit Rajendra Prasad for the success of the surgery. The victim was fully awake  and aware and even told the doctors that his blood group was A positive. Rarely do doctors come across such people with a strong will power. “It was his will power that saved him,” admits Dr B Srinivas, one of the surgeons attending him.
“For a moment I thought I would die. But I mustered enough courage and did not give in  till I reached the hospital, 20 km away. My co-workers kept on reassuring me to ensure that I do not slip into shock. I felt fainted for a few seconds as soon I entered the ambulance but the support I got from my friends and doctors save me from what would have been an imminent death,” says Rajendra Prasad, who is now recuperating after a four-hour surgical procedure.
Doctors at Singareni hospital had never come across such an accident victim.  It was really a challenging task for Dr Srinivas and his colleague Dr V Srikanth. The operation was a tough one, but luckily the victim did not have common health problems like diabetes and hypertension.
According to Dr Srikanth, 30 cms of the rod was inside the body. There was no damage to important body organs as the rod had slipped through the abdomen, a few cm away from the liver, spleen and intestines.
“The surgery was no miracle, but the way the rod had pierced through his body leaving vital visceral organs untouched is indeed a miracle. Had these organs been injured, there would have been lot of bleeding and the surgical procedure would have been quite complicated,” observed Dr Srikanth.
About a decade ago, an iron rod pierced through the head of a Singareni worker and doctors at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, successfully removed it. Luckily, the victim had survived.
Doctors do have a difficult task when accident victims, with iron roads or sharp wooden logs pierced through their bodies, are brought to them for surgery. The foreign body cannot be removed with a force. The area around the rod or log is cut to remove it. Then the body is cleaned of rust and other particles to prevent infection.
In the case of Rajendra Prasad, four inches of the body around the rod was surgically cut. “Since it was an iron rod, there’s danger of rust and consequent infection. We cleaned the body and then sutured it,” says Sri Srinivas.

---------==========--------
Some Recent Incidents
---------==========--------

March, 2010:  Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, removed
an iron rod from the leg of an auto rickshaw driver in what is termed a rare surgical
procedure. The rod pierced through the ankle of 30-year-old Amrik after his auto hit with
a lorry carrying iron roads.

************

February, 2010:  A 12-year-old boy from Malegaon survived luckily after a 95 cm rod went
through his body, from near the anus to the shoulder, damaging vital visceral organs
including liver.

The mishap occurred while Karim Ali was playing at a construction site near his house.

*************

March, 2009:  Mehul Kumar, 6, was rushed to a hospital in Ranchi after a six feet rod
speared his body. Doctors removed the rod after four hours of surgery. Luckily the body
had no major internal injuries. He fell down from the terrace of his house.
************

December, 2008: Doctors at a hospital in Pune successfully operated on Santosh Kumar, 21,
a construction worker, after six feet rod pierced through his shoulder. He fell down from
the 10th floor of an under-construction building. Doctors described it as a miracle.






No comments: