Jinnah Hospital team rescues man after rod pierces chest near heart

Quick response, precision surgery spare patient’s life after rod pierces chest inches from heart

Doctors at Jinnah Hospital Karachi successfully performed a complex surgery to save the life of a young man who had a wooden rod lodged in his chest. The victim had fallen from a height of about seven feet onto the wooden rod, which pierced his chest from under his armpit and stopped dangerously close to his heart and a major artery.

Doctors at Jinnah Hospital managed to save the life of the 21-year-old patient after a high-risk operation. The wooden rod had entered his chest from beneath the left armpit, tearing through the chest and 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,” the surgeons said. “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.