11-year-old gets new ‘face’ at Ahmedabad hospital

AHMEDABAD: Mayank (name changed), 11, a resident of a village near Palanpur in Banaskantha district, posed a medical challenge for doctors at KD Hospital in Ahmedabad, when he was brought in on May 29. The victim of a road accident, Mayank had deep lacerations on his face and chest that had exposed the interiors of his eye, nose, mouth, neck and chest.
“He was not only put on a ventilator, but also given CPR. He was fed through a tube for nearly a fortnight as a team of experts – ranging from a paediatric intensivist to a plastic surgeon and a neurosurgeon – were put on the case,” said a senior official at KD Hospital.
The team consisted of neurosurgeons Dr Sandip Modh, Dr Gopal Shah, ER consultant Dr Vivek Ambalia, plastic surgeon Dr Rutvij Parikh, oculo-plastic surgeon Dr Sapan, and neonatologist Dr Snehal Patel. It worked on the case and decided on suturing instead of surgery.
“One of the major factors for the decision was multiple fractures including those of facial bones. There was the danger of a tear to the meninges – the the layer between the skull and the brain. Thus, suturing was performed to close the wounds,” said an official, adding that he was discharged after a month’s treatment. Mayank recently came back to the hospital for a check-up and the doctors are happy with his condition. “He may undergo plastic surgeries after some more time.”