Six-year-old Mumbai girl survives after rod pierces skull

Sejal was fortunate to get timely medical attention, doctors said, which prevented her from suffering brain damage

Doctors saved the life of six-year-old Sejal Yadav, who had fallen from eight feet onto a metallic rod, which pierced her skull. Sejal was fortunate to get timely medical attention, doctors said, which prevented her from suffering brain damage.

Six-year-old Sejal Yadav fell from a building construction site onto a protruding metallic rod, which pierced her skull, in Chembur. (HT PHOTO)

“In similar cases of head injuries, late medical attention could lead to paralysis,” said Dr Roy Patankar, director, Zen Multi Speciality Hospital.

Around 12 days ago, Sejal, daughter of a vegetable vendor in Chembur, was playing near a building construction site where she accidentally fell onto a protruding metallic rod, which penetrated three centimetres into her head. Sejal’s parents removed the rod and rushed her to a nearby hospital, said her relatives. Doctors said the child was unconscious when she arrived. A series of scans showed that her skull was fractured. “Since children have thinner skulls compared to adults, a part of the skull had fragmented and entered her brain,” said Patankar.

The doctors operated on her and removed a part of her skull to access the injured brain and then removed the fragmented parts. “Such injuries are not rare, but it is rare for patients to recover without permanent neurological damage. Sejal has recovered so well because we ensured that her brain received enough oxygen,” said Patankar.