Maharashtra: Arrow pierces boy’s head, surgery saves him

An 11-year-old boy was wheeled into an operation theatre Aurangabad’s Manik Hospital and Research Centre recently with a metal-and-wood arrow lodged in his head.

An 11-year-old boy was wheeled into an operation theatre Aurangabad’s Manik Hospital and Research Centre recently with a metal-and-wood arrow lodged in his head.

The arrow pierced Ritvik Tarte on the right side and got lodged in the skull, with the arrow head gaping out from the left side of his head. (HT PHOTO)

The arrow pierced Ritvik Tarte, a student of Trimurti School, Ahmednagar, on the right side and got lodged in the skull, with the arrow head gaping out from the left side of his head. He was first treated by surgeon Dr Deepak Najan, who referred him to a neurosurgeon, Dr Jeevan Rajput.

That no one had attempted to pull out the arrow saved Ritvik’s life.

“If anyone had removed the arrow, it would have resulted in excessive bleeding inside the brain which could be fatal,” said Dr Rajput, who performed a craniotomy procedure where a part of the skull is removed to release the pressure on the brain.

In this case, doctors removed the arrow by performing a craniotomy on both sides of the skull from the area beneath the temple region.

On September 8, Ritvik was practicing archery with classmates when the accident took place. “His teachers told us that he wanted to change his position. Instead of moving to the new spot by walking from behind the archers, he entered the no-entry zone and was injured,” said his father, Ankush, who works as daily wage worker.

Doctors were worried that the impact could have damaged the brain which may lead to neurological deficit such as a problem in speech.

On Tuesday, after the doctors removed the stiches, they found him to be fit. “The most challenging part of the surgery was to remove the wooden particles which had embedded in the brain tissue. We used an endoscope to remove the particles as it could have damaged the brain,” said Dr Rajput.

Though, the boy is stable, he will require to rest for the next few months to recover.

Earlier in January, Brijesh Sahani, 16, underwent a brain surgery to remove an arrow which had pierced him while he was playing in a ground at Dahisar where a group of archers were practising.