Bhubaneswar: A 21-year-old orphan from Bhadrak with a large, rapidly expanding swelling in his neck, has been successfully treated by doctors of KIMS Bhubaneswar following a complex emergency surgery.
The patient complained of severe breathing and swallowing difficulties when he was brought to KIMS by a friend on the evening of August 15.
Professor and Head of Cardiac Surgery Dr Chandan Ray Mohapatra found a large, tense and pulsating swelling measuring approximately 4 inches by 3 inches in the middle of his neck. The severe swelling was pressing on his windpipe, the passage through which air travels to the lungs, making breathing extremely difficult.
According to doctors, the patient had suffered a fall from a two-wheeler about six months earlier, resulting in fracture of his right collarbone. About two weeks before coming to KIMS, he noticed swelling in his neck that gradually increased in size.
A CT scan at KIMS revealed that an artery had developed a leak, resulting in blood accumulating and forming the large swelling. The expanding blood-filled swelling was compressing the airway and also causing pain in the neck, hand, and back.
“The patient was unable to breathe or swallow food or drink water. He was suffering from pain in the neck, hand and backside. We conducted a CT scan and found that one of the major arteries from the heart was leaking. This was the reason for the pain and swelling,” said Dr Mohapatra.
As the medical team prepared to administer anaesthesia, they faced a big challenge. Although the patient had adequate mouth opening, the huge pulsating swelling had compressed the windpipe to such an extent that the doctors could not ventilate him normally.
Senior Consultant cardiac anaesthesiologist Dr Ashok Badamali took charge of the anaesthesia management. Using a smaller-than-usual rigid breathing tube, he was able to place it deep into one of the patient’s lungs and establish breathing support.
At the same time, the surgical team, which included Dr Satyajit Samal, Consultant Cardiac Surgery, and Debabrata Mohapatra, Senior Perfusionist, connected the patient to a heart-lung machine. It temporarily performs the functions of heart and lungs during major cardiac surgery, allowing doctors to circulate and oxygenate the blood while operating on the chest.
The surgeons opened the patient’s chest and repaired the leaking artery while he remained on heart-lung machine support. The surgery, which took around four to five hours, was completed successfully.
“During the operation, we opened the chest and repaired the leaking artery and successfully saved the patient. If the patient had not have been brought on time, there was a high risk of him losing life,” he added.
The day after surgery, doctors confirmed that the respiratory passage was functioning normally. The patient has been discharged and is back to normal life.
The patient, along with his relatives from his native village, expressed their deepest gratitude to KIMS doctors and nurses for saving his life. They also thanked KIIT and KISS founder Dr Achyuta Samanta for the advanced care treatment available at KIMS.