PG students perform risky liver procedure, save 71-yr-old Covid patient’s life

Dr Vani Dutta, a PG student of general surgery at the Sharda Institute of Medical Sciences, said it was a case of alcoholic liver disease, complicated with liver abscess.

Taking serious notes of the deteriorating condition of a 71-year-old male Covid-19 patient, who had a huge amount of pus in his liver, two post-graduate (PG) residents of Sharda hospital, on Friday evening, successfully drained his liver abscess with the help of needles. Though still on ventilator, the patient is reportedly recovering and is now out of danger, sources at the hospital said.

Hailing the efforts taken by these PG students, Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY also said that these young hands are the real torch-bearers during this pandemic crisis. (Sunil Ghosh/HT file photo)

Dr Vani Dutta, a PG student of general surgery at the Sharda Institute of Medical Sciences, said it was a case of alcoholic liver disease, complicated with liver abscess. “Added to these complications was the fact that the patient was diagnosed with coronavirus (Covid-19) disease five days ago and admitted here. Because of Covid-19 and the expanding abscess, the patient went into a state of shock and was resuscitated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Covid ward,” she said.

She added that since the drainage was necessary, she and another PG student of radiology Dr Aanchal (single name), decided to take a final call without further ado. “When it’s about a patient’s life on the edge, Covid scare is the last thing on our mind. Under the ultrasound guidance through video conferencing by our medical superintendent (MS) Dr Ashutosh Niranjan and head of radiology department Dr Vishal Gupta, we started performing the drainage procedure. It was really a moment of pride for us when the patient felt well enough to himself ask for water and eatables this morning,” she said.

Appreciating the efforts of these young medicos, the hospital’s MS, Dr Ashutosh Niranjan, said tackling such complicated cases in pandemic times is a great sign of their brilliance. “Liver abscess is a mass filled with pus inside the liver. Common causes are abdominal conditions such as appendicitis or diverticulitis due to haematogenous spread through the portal vein. Had it not been done on time by our young students, it could have caused a major liver injury, which often takes the life of the patient. Their commitment will also inspire many doctors who prefer not to work fearing for their lives. Our PG students never shy away from treating Covid-positive patients,” he said.

It should be noted here that as many as seven doctors and 47 nurses of the Sharda hospital did not report to duty last month, fearing for their lives due to the pandemic. However, after the state government decided to book them under the Pandemic Act if they remain absent, most of them resumed their duties recently. Incidentally, as many as 100 out of a total of 125 PG students of the Sharda Institute are presently working in Covid wards of the hospital.

Dr Gyanendra Kumar, officer on special duty (OSD) to the state government and a professor at the Jhansi medical college, said that draining pus from the liver is never an easy task, even for trained doctors. “First of all, all credit goes to the bright students, and secondly, it is the high-end technology available at the hospital that boosts the morale of the doctors and students there,” he said.

Hailing the efforts taken by these PG students, Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY also said that these young hands are the real torch-bearers during this pandemic crisis. “I think it will spread a positive message among other doctors,” he said.