The injury is rare, rather unusual. And the surgery is complicated and one of the rarest.
King George Hospital received a patient with an arrow injury more than a fortnight ago. The arrow entered the left side of the jaw and went up to the right side of the neck.
“According to medical journals, this is the third such case reported in the world and the first instance, wherein the opposite side internal carotid artery and internal jugular vein are injured,” senior surgeon S.V. Kumar said on Saturday.
The artery on the right side that supplies blood to the brain was cut off and the vein was also damaged. .
A complicated surgery was planned and performed despite the fact that the necessary facility in the hospital was damaged during Hudhud and the specialist surgeon had been transferred, Dr. Kumar, who is also Principal of Andhra Medical College, said.
The 28-year-old Girijan from Lankapaakala village in Chintapalli mandal J. Bujjibabu, a father of three children, survived an attempt on his life. He was brought to the Area Hospital at Chintapalli on December 30, 2014, and was referred to KGH after being given first aid.
“We were determined to save the patient. I contacted a few cardiothoracic surgeons. I requested the GM of Manipal Hospitals to get the DSA done free of cost. Radiologist D.V. Anil Kumar did the CT angio and the DSA. We were lucky that an experienced CT surgeon K. Subba Rao agreed to perform the complicated surgery,” Dr. Kumar said.
A specialised stent costing Rs. 2.5 lakh was kept on standby. The surgery went on for three-and-a-half hours.
Dr. Subba Rao and Dr. Kumar, along with surgeons — Bhavani Rao and Harshavardhan, performed the surgery. Anaesthesia was provided by professor A. Satyanarayana and Satish.
‘This is the third such case reported in the world and the first instance, wherein the opposite side internal carotid artery and internal jugular vein are injured’
