Radhey Shyam, the patient
A 39-year-old man who suffered a close-range penetrating gunshot injury to his head was successfully operated on by doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
The patient, Radhey Shyam, a resident of Sonia Vihar, was shifted to the hospital from Lok Nayak on July 4. He was immediately put on ventilator support as he had breathing difficulties and was bleeding profusely.
According to doctors, a CT scan of his brain revealed multiple gunshot fragments outside and inside the skull, causing significant injury to the dominant hemisphere of the brain (left hemisphere).
“This kind of injury is considered the most complicated type of brain injury and is amongst the most life-threatening. In this case, the best we expected was the patient’s survival. Time was of the essence as his condition was deteriorating. Despite the pandemic, it was decided to form an emergency medical board and wheel the patient for surgery without waiting for his Covid result,” said Dr (Prof) Samir K Kalra, senior neurosurgeon, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
As the doctors removed the bone flap, they found hundreds of fragments of gunmetal and pellets. “Multiple pellets had penetrated the skull at various depths and had crushed the left part of his brain, which was under severe pressure and had started bulging out. There were also multiple clots that needed removal… safe control of bleeding was the aim in this situation,” said Dr Kalra.
Following the surgery, the patient was gradually weaned off the ventilator and discharged on Monday.
His younger brother Uma Shankar said: “He was heading to the market when an unidentified person shot him. He isn’t able to speak yet and is communicating in sign language.”
According to doctors, many modifications had to be done for the surgery — the choice of surgical attire, safety measures, operative procedure. “PPE suits for surgery make movements cumbersome, and eye shields make visibility very poor. Braving these challenges, the surgical team was successful in the difficult task,” said Dr Kalra.