A 42-year-old man, Saravanan, was on Monday injured on the back of his head when a ceiling fan fell on him while he was undergoing a medical check-up at the Dharmapuri Government Medical College Hospital. The blade of the fan caused lacerations and bleeding at the back of the head, requiring a few sutures to close the wound.
The man was treated and sent back home with the assurance that he would be all right. But he was brought back to the hospital in a 108 ambulance on Monday night, after he vomited and experienced headache.
After the monthly check-up for a lung ailment, he was consulting a dermatologist on rashes on his legs. The fan fell on him as he bent to show the rashes to the doctor.
Saravanan’s wife Kavitha said he was asked to return if there were any complications. “He had told the doctor that he had blood pressure and diabetes and did not want to take a chance. So, he had suggested that he be admitted for a day for observation. But, instead they sent him home. My only complaint is that they could have at least done a scan, since it was the back of the head, instead of sending him home,” Kavita to The Hindu.
A computed tomography (CT) scan done later on Monday night indicated no trauma or brain injury.
The Hindu contacted Dean of the Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital Srinivasa Rao on the reasons for sending the patient back home without a scan. “There were lacerations, which were sutured and the patient was fine. There were no indications of head trauma such as headache, vomiting, pupil abnormality, loss of consciousness or drowsiness. In the absence of such indications, we do not carry out a CT scan, the radiation of which is equivalent to 400 to 500 X-Rays. That was the reason the patient was sent back. When the patient came back with headache, a CT scan was carried out and the report was normal,” Dr.Rao said.