Fortis doctors restore face of 14 year old impaled by fence

New Delhi: Doctors at Fortis Shalimar Bagh managed to save a 14 year-old boy after a fence impaled his face while playing in the park. Saksham Gadia, a Class IX student recovered from a complex surgery performed by a team led by Dr Richie Gupta, Sr. Consultant, Department of Plastic, Aesthetic & Reconstructive Surgery at FHSB.

While playing in a park with his friends, the teenager tried to jump over a fence in the local park at Paschim Vihar while chasing a ball. He accidentally lost his footing and landed head first on the grill which pierced him below the right jawbone, breaking it into two. The impact resulted in the impalement of his neck and face, on a grill. He was stuck in this position, with grill entering his mouth, from the neck and breaking his jawbone.

People present on the spot and his friends pulled him out of the grill which caused profuse bleeding. He was rushed in that condition to a nearby nursing home who administered pressure dressing as first aid to contain his bleeding and referred him to Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. When he was presented at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh’s emergency unit, Saksham was conscious but bleeding profusely from the gaping hole in his jaw. “His jaw bone was fractured with displacement of both ends. He also was bleeding profusely from his neck and mouth,” added Dr Rajat Gupta, Associate Consultant, Department of Plastic, Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery, who was the first to receive the patient.

Doctors call this a miraculous escape for the teenager. “Had the grill pierced him anywhere else within a few centimeters from the affected area, it could have been fatal. Also, the fact that his neck and face were yanked out of the grill at accident site, could have led to profuse bleeding and caused an immediate threat to his life,” said Dr Gupta adding that, “For the safety of the patient, it is important that the metal part of the fence is left as it is and is cut externally to rescue and mobilise the individual into an emergency.”

“We ligated his bleeding vessels, irrigated his wound and cleaned it off debris. The wound was repaired in layers, leaving behind a drain at neck. His lower jaw bone fragments were replaced in position and held temporarily with arch bars and wires. Three days later, via an internal approach, plating and fixation of his lower jaw was done under general anaesthesia,” explained Dr Gupta.

As per Mr Mahipal Bhanot, Facility Director, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, “The central focus for our team has always been combining clinical excellence and placing the patient first at all times. Even though Saksham was bought in a precarious condition and had lost a lot of blood, our team led by Dr Richie Gupta planned the surgery meticulously, focusing on cleaning, repair and reconstructive surgery”.

“I was away at work when I got a call from my brother-in-law that Saksham has been rushed in to the hospital in an emergency situation,” recalls Jiji Gadia, the patient’s mother who added that public awareness is important in cases where individuals get trapped in precarious and rather life threatening situations and are unsure what to do. I am grateful to the medical team at Fortis, Shalimar Bagh for saving my child from a grievous injury.

He was started on clear liquid diet, the very next day. He will be put on soft diet at one week, post-surgery and normal consistency food at around 6 weeks post-surgery.

Saksham was brave not to succumb under extreme pain. He was recently started on oral feed and has been recovering well under regular follow up check-up with his doctors.