Media Release
Mangaluru, Feb 2: In an exceptional demonstration of emergency trauma care, KMC Hospital, Dr B R Ambedkar Circle successfully saved the life of an 11-year-old girl from Kasargod, referred to as Shrina (name changed), after a life-threatening accident.
On January 18, the child sustained a grievous injury after falling onto an iron rod, which pierced through and through her right upper chest. The local hospital did a commendable work of giving the initial treatment and timely referring her for advanced treatment at KMC Hospital. Upon her arrival, Dr Arpita Specialist Emergency Medicine & her team acted swiftly to stabilize her and immediately shifted her to the operation theatre.
A complex emergency thoracotomy was performed, and Dr Sadashiva Rao, pediatric surgeon, KMC Hospital safely removed the iron rod, with expert anesthetic support from Dr Sunil, & Dr Freeda Praveena Cutinha, anaesthetist. The surgery was conducted with precision and without complications.
Following the procedure, the child was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for close postoperative monitoring. Under the care of Dr Swathi Rao, consultant – Pediatric Intensivist, KMC Hospital, and the child showed steady improvement and made a remarkable recovery.
Sharing his thoughts on the case, Dr Sadashiva Rao said, “Penetrating chest injuries in children are extremely rare and life-threatening. It is utmost important that any penetrating object like knife, rods etc be removed only under the presence of full equipped medical team. This surgery was one of its kind where there was a requirement to saw off the extra piece of rods from both sides before attempting to remove the rod from the chest.”
Within one week, Shrina recovered fully and was discharged in stable condition, bringing relief and gratitude to her family.
Pramod Kunder, cluster director KMC Hospital, said, “This case underscores KMC Hospital Mangalore’s commitment to advanced paediatric trauma care, rapid emergency response, and multidisciplinary excellence in managing critical cases.”
About Manipal Hospitals
As a pioneer in healthcare, Manipal Hospitals is among the top healthcare providers in India serving over 8 million patients annually, with a focus on providing affordable, high-quality healthcare services. Manipal’s integrated network today has a pan-India footprint of 49 hospitals across 24 cities with 12,600 licensed beds, and a talented pool of 11,000+ doctors and an employee strength of over 34000.
Manipal Hospitals provides comprehensive curative and preventive care for a multitude of patients from around the globe. Manipal Hospitals is AAHRPP accredited and most of the hospitals in its network are NABH, NABL, ER, Blood Bank accredited and recognized for Nursing Excellence.