PUNE: A boy, 19, suffering from paraplegia due to a bomb blast injury in the ongoing civil war in Yemen, has fully recovered and is even able to walk again after doctors at a city hospital came to his rescue.
Anwar Ali (name changed) was brought to Pune for further surgery after primary stabilisation in Yemen. With bomb injuries presenting complex diagnostic and management challenges, the doctors performed multiple flap surgeries on him, providing the war victim with much-needed relief. His spinal cord injury was treated and with the help of a physiotherapist, he is now able to walk again.
Dr Abhishek Ghosh, microvascular reconstructive surgeon at Noble hospital who operated on the boy, said, “Gradually, the patient also developed bed sores on all pressure points including the back, thighs, knees and ankles. His wounds were getting infected resulting in Septicaemia. But we successfully treated his infected wounds. Multiple flap surgeries were performed on him to cover all defects.”
Multiple flap surgery entails using healthy tissue to cover up defects in the body where there is loss of skin, fat or muscle movement. During the operation, shrapnels embedded in the patient’s palm were removed. The patient’s wounds have healed now and he is undergoing physiotherapy.
Dr Ghosh said, “The bomb blast cut his spinal cord at the L3 L4 level. With the help of physiotherapy, he has started walking now. This bomb blast injury was not just any regular thermal injury; the boy had many pellets inside his body. Some of the pellets I removed were stuck deep inside his body.”
{{/usCountry}}Dr Ghosh said, “The bomb blast cut his spinal cord at the L3 L4 level. With the help of physiotherapy, he has started walking now. This bomb blast injury was not just any regular thermal injury; the boy had many pellets inside his body. Some of the pellets I removed were stuck deep inside his body.”
{{/usCountry}}The surgery was performed on August 12 and the patient has now been declared fully recovered. Bone-, bullet-, burn- and mine blast- injuries comprise a majority of injuries when it comes to treating war zone patients.