Man survives wooden rod piercing through chest

Quick response, precision surgery at JPMC spare patient’s life with rod lodged inches away from heart

Doctors at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) performed a complex surgery to save the life of a young man who had a wooden rod lodged in his chest, it emerged on Tuesday. 

The 21-year-old patient had fallen from a height of about seven feet onto the wooden rod, which pierced through his chest from beneath the left armpit, stopping mere centimeters away from the heart and the aorta. Those few centimeters proved to be the difference between life and death.

After the operation, the patient regained consciousness and is now in stable condition. “This was an extremely dangerous case,” said a surgeon at JPMC. “The rod was only a few centimeters away from the heart and aorta. Timely surgery, teamwork, and immediate medical response saved his life”.

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The patient was brought to the hospital’s emergency ward in critical condition, with a dangerously slow heartbeat. Doctors immediately began treatment under Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocols.

Thoracic surgeons Dr Muhammad Shoaib and Dr Nadir Ali said that the nature of the injury raised serious concerns that the heart or major blood vessels might have been damaged, as such injuries are often fatal. Examination revealed that the rod had entered between the third ribs on the left side of the chest, with its tip visible near the breastbone.

During surgery, it was found that the rod had damaged the muscles, ribs, and lung, but fortunately, the heart and aorta remained intact. The surgical team carefully removed the wooden rod, controlled the bleeding, and repaired the injuries to the lung and chest wall.

The patient is now fully conscious and recovering rapidly. The surgery was performed by thoracic surgeons Dr Muhammad Shoaib, Dr Nadir Ali, and Dr Aina under the supervision of Professor Tanveer Ahmed.