Doctors in Odisha give new lease of life to 16-yr-old boy by removing 1.5-ft crowbar stuck in body

By Prakash Panigrahi

Berhampur, April 3: Doctors at Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Medical College and Hospital (MKCGMCH) in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Sunday gave a new lease of life to a 16-year-old boy as they successfully removed a 1.5-ft crowbar stuck in his body following a successful long-duration surgical procedure.

The patient was identified as Shakti Pataguru of Talasubarnapur village in Kandhamal district.

As per reports, Shakti was engaged by a construction contractor for renovation of the government upper primary school in Talasubarnapur village. On Saturday, he was removing damaged asbestos sheets from the roof when he lost his balance and fell on the crowbar.

As the tool pierced his body near the pelvis and got stuck in the abdomen, Shakti’s family immediately rushed him to Baliguda hospital but doctors referred him to MKCGMCH in Berhampur as his condition was critical.

After admission and X-Ray, a team of doctors led by Professor Dr I Gopal operated on Shakti for over five hours and managed to successfully remove the crowbar from his torso.

“This was a critical case. We took the challenge and carried out the surgery as the tool was stuck 1.5 feet into the boy’s body. Fortunately only the pelvic bone was injured and not the spinal region. His vitals are stable and he is currently in the intensive care unit (ICU). As soon as he recovers, we will take up another surgery to treat affected areas of his body,” Dr Gopal informed.

The police has registered a case and started an investigation to ascertain the identity of the contractor who had illegally engaged the minor in construction work.

Reports said the contractor who hails from Kandhamal district has gone absoconding fearing arrest. The police has formed a team to apprehend the contractor.