City doctors perform critical surgery on 14-yr-old boy

A team of city doctors performed a critical repair and reconstructive surgery on 14-year-old boy who had a miraculous survival after his face was impaled by fence while playing in the park.
Saksham Gadia, a class IX student, who tried to jump over a fence at a park at Paschim Vihar while chasing a ball, accidentally lost his footing and landed head first on the grill which pierced him below the right jawbone, breaking it into two.
The impact resulted in the impalement of his neck and face. He was stuck in this position, with the grill entering his mouth from the neck and breaking his jawbone, said Dr Rajat Gupta, Associate Consultant, Department of Plastic, Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh.

He was rushed in that condition to a nearby nursing home and was administered pressure dressing as first aid to contain the bleeding and referred him to Fortis.
"When presented to us, Saksham was conscious but bleeding profusely from the gaping hole in his jaw. His jaw bone was fractured with displacement of both ends," he said.
"He had a miraculous escape. Had the grill pierced him anywhere else within a few centimetres from the affected area, it could have been fatal. Also, the fact that his neck and face were yanked out of the grill at accident site, could have led to profuse bleeding and caused an immediate threat to his life," Gupta said.

For the safety of the patient, it was important that the metal part of the fence was left as it was and cut externally to rescue and mobilise the individual into an emergency, he added.

He was operated on November 26 by a team led by Dr Richie Gupta, Senior Consultant, Department of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery at the hospital.
"We ligated his bleeding vessels, irrigated his wound and cleaned it off debris. The wound was repaired in layers, leaving behind a drain at neck. His lower jaw bone fragments were replaced in position and held temporarily with arch bars and wires.

"Three days later, via an internal approach, plating and fixation of his lower jaw was done under general anaesthesia," Gupta explained.
He will be put on soft diet at one week, post-surgery and normal consistency food at around six weeks post-surgery.
"We recently started oral feed him and he has been recovering well under regular follow up check-up with his doctors," Gupta said.