Doctors in Gandhi Hospital perform rare surgery

Hyderabad: Doctors in Gandhi Hospital have given a new lease of life to a 16-year-old boy by performing the most challenging ‘Tracheal Resection and Anastomosis’ in an innovative way.

Highlights:

• A 16-year-old student of Intermediate has been given a new lease of life
• The government hospital doctors perform ‘Tracheal Resection and Anastomosis’ free of charge
• It would have cost between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 6 lakh in a private hsoptial

For last six months Srikanth, an Intermediate student from Jainath mandal in Adilabad district, was given treatment for bronchial asthma and allergic bronchitis. At Adilabad, a doctor advised him to have a CT scan for chest. He had gone to Nagapur for CT scan and doctors told him that surgery was very risky. He had suffered from acute shortness of breath for three days before coming to Gandhi Hospital. He had this condition for three days and spent sleepless days.

Dr G Ravindra, Head of the Department, Cardio Thoracic Surgery, received a call on August 1 from emergency department that Srikanth was struggling with acute breathlessness. After examining the CT scan report, the doctor had found that tracheal tumour had blocked the trachea to about 90 per cent.

“We decided to perform surgery on the boy. Within an hour all the team members assembled and began the surgery. It took almost seven hours to successfully perform the surgery,” he said.

Further he said, “We did not know what caused the tracheal tumour but it could be a congenital disease. It was the first time in my 30 year career that I came across this type of case. Such a condition is very rare.” He said surgery was very challenging and very difficult that while on surgery the patient may die.

We have to maintain oxygen saturation to ensure normal functioning of the body. Resection of tracheal tumour along with two rings and anastomosis. (An anastomosis is a surgical connection between two structures.)

Dr M Bhanu Lakshmi, Assistant Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology, who played a key role in the success of surgery, said, “We used small endotracheal tubes that usually used for babies born with low weight. Endotracheal tubes would provide the oxygenation to the lungs, so that patient is able to survive during the surgery, she said.

Dr P Shravan Kumar, Superintendent of Gandhi Hospital, said, “Corporate hospital will charge between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 6 lakh for the surgery. In Our hospital, surgery was performed free of charge. Obviously jubilant over the successful outcome, Srikanth expressed his wish to become a doctor and work in Gandhi Hospital.

By V Naveen Kumar