Doctors at the Government Medical College hospital performed a tracheal reconstruction procedure on Nivedha Priyadharshini, 21, of Pudukkottai, who had been receiving mechanical ventilation.
The patient suffered an accident on January 22 and was treated at a nursing home in Madurai. Due to high risk in placing a tube in the windpipe, she developed obstructed, noisy breathing and was diagnosed to have tracheal stenosis and doctors advised a tracheostomy.
AL. Meenakshi Sundaram, Dean, GMC, said the procedure was complicated due to the treatment she had received. “She refused a tracheostomy in Madurai and got admitted here. Tracheal reconstruction is the most challenging anaesthetic as well as surgical procedure. It was a very difficult case as she had to be oxygenated while undergoing surgery but that was difficult because of the tracheal stenosis.
A team performed a bronchoscopy which revealed tracheal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the windpipe, for one cm length in the lower trachea.
On 27 March, she was administered anaesthesia by spontaneous inhalation technique. “A special metallic tube was placed in proximal trachea above the level of stenosis and the chest cage was opened. Another complication occurred when she developed bilateral pneumothorax during surgery and oxygen level reduced dramatically but it was quickly overcome,” he said.
The surgery, which would be expensive in a private hospital, was performed free of cost under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance scheme, he said.