Shot in chest by 2 gunmen, Mumbai man survives, resumes work in 30 days

Mumbai city news: If he had been brought to the hospital even five minutes later, we wouldn’t have been able to save him, said doctors

A bullet punctured his lung and grazed one of his major blood vessels, but that didn’t stop Nallasopara resident Dilip Verma from resuming work just a month after being shot during a violent firefight.

Bar cashier Dilip Verma (left). (HT Photo)

Verma, 27, works as a cashier at Galaxy Bar in Nallasopara. He was shot in the chest by two unidentified gunmen, who claimed allegiance to gangster Suresh Pujari. He was taken to a private hospital in Vasai, where doctors couldn’t handle his profuse bleeding. He was then shifted to Wockhardt Hospital at Mira Road.

“He had lost a lot of blood and was in a state of shock. If he had been brought to the hospital even five minutes later, we wouldn’t have been able to save him,” said Dr Manish Garg, Cardio Thoracic & Vascular Surgery (CTVS) specialist at the hospital.

The bullet made a 3-mm wound in Verma’s chest, passed through his right lung and left a 1-cm exit wound. It grazed a major blood vessel, which could have killed Verma had it been damaged further.

The 3-mm entry wound in Verma’s chest.

VATS is a type of modern thoracic surgery performed using a small video camera, which enters patient’s chest via a scope. It helps surgeons see the instruments that are used to operate on internal organs.

“He was bleeding continuously. We secured the entry and exit wounds to stop his bleeding. We sutured his right lung. We gave him heavy antibiotics to prevent the wounds from getting infected,” Dr Garg added.

After surgery, Verma spent two days in the intensive care unit and two more in the hospital’s general ward before being discharged. After three weeks of rest at home, he resumed work.

“Surgeries like these only give you one chance. If you miss it, you lose the patient. We are extremely happy and proud of Verma,” Dr Garg said.