Cardiothoracic surgeons at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) removed a log that pierced the chest of a 27-year-old man. The nearly three-foot log had pierced his chest for about 20 to 30 cm. in a road accident.
The man was reportedly driving a lorry that rammed a tiled house in Avadi in the early hours of March 5 when a log pierced his right chest. He was rushed to the Avadi government hospital from where he was referred to the Government Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital. After the insertion of intercostal chest drain at KMC, he was referred to the RGGGH.
“Our emergency department received intimation about arrival of the patient. So, the team was ready. On receiving him at the casualty, they initiated treatment, while the operation theatre was kept ready,” E. Theranirajan, dean of the RGGGH, said.
The patient was brought to the emergency department around 5.50 a.m. and shifted to the theatre around 6.05 a.m. Doctors found that the log had pierced into the right lower lobe of the lung, damaging it, according to R. Nandhakumar, professor, Cardiothoracic Surgery Department of RGGGH.
A team of cardiothoracic surgeons — assistant professors Senthil Kumar and Ajay Narasimhan — performed the surgery. “Under general anaesthesia, the log was removed. It had pierced from the anterior chest wall to the posterior chest wall with no exit. It was a blunt log with nails on it,” he said. Right lung lower lobectomy with diaphragm repair was done.
Dr. Nandhakumar said the condition of the patient improved and he would be discharged soon.
