Shalby Naroda Saves The Life Of A Corona Positive Patient With Emergency Laparotomy Surgery

A 51-year-old male patient, a security guard by profession, was admitted to Shalby Multi-specialty Hospitals, Naroda after testing positive for COVID-19.

Initially, he was having cough, fever, breathlessness, and abdominal pain with bloody diarrhea of 2-3 days duration which was progressive and not responding to traditional oral medicines. On investigation, he was found to have poor lung function with oxygen requirement for breathlessness and infection of the large intestine and caecum. In view of poor health, trials with higher antibiotics and watchful observation were tried but did not yield positive results.

With his deteriorating health, an early decision to operate and remove the infected portions of the intestine was made by the gastro-surgery team led by Dr. Varun Bajaj and supported by Dr. Nilesh Kharadi, Surgeon, to ensure that if we operate early, we may be able to save the patient. It was a challenge to ascertain whether the patient would be able to withstand the surgical stress and all necessary steps and clearances were obtained from Government authorities.

The patient and his relatives were counseled about the complexity of the surgery and his condition. All of them trusted us unconditionally which made us more confident. Changes in regular operating times with minimal and expert staff, personal protective equipment, separate operating room, phased entry, laminar airflow, and necessary changes in anesthesia were made. On exploration of the abdomen, there was perforation at the large intestine and gross spillage of pus and stool within the abdominal cavity. Probably waiting more would have been disastrous. The whole abdomen was thoroughly washed, infected segments of intestines were removed, and diversion of stool on the abdomen was done to promote healing, considering the possible need to give steroids and injection of Tocilizumab in the postoperative period.

With PPE kits on, it is immensely exhausting to operate and concentrate, as it takes a heavy toll on the concentration of surgeons as well as the support staff. Repeated fogging of the face shield hinders your vision and the ticking clock reminds you of shorter operative time. Constant sweating makes things worse. We were lucky to have completed the operation on time and the patient was shifted to the ICU unit.

The patient was maintained on a ventilator over the next 2 days, under close observation of fully trained nursing staff and doctors. The patient eventually recovered completely, taking everything by mouth, carrying out his own routine, walking, and most important of all; SMILING with a ray of hope of life, as a result of excellent coordination between treating doctors and staff at Shalby Hospitals, Naroda for 4 -5 days. It was a delight to see smiles on everyone around him. Tears were rolling down his cheeks when he called his son after the surgery.

Constant follow-up by specialist doctors, skilled staff, advanced operation theatre, prompt diagnosis, early intervention, hassle-free management, and Will to Fight for the patient helped us in this life-sustaining battle. Our experience suggests that the determination and mental strength of any Corona patient predicts its outcome and if we believe in ourselves, we can recover from Corona even in all critical situations.

Still, some more time will be needed for the patient to completely recover but where there is a Will there’s a Way. Hopefully, his fight will inspire millions of  others to keep on fighting this deadly virus with firm determination and timely treatment