Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a rare case, doctors at Sri Aurobindo Hospital successfully removed a 5 cm-long steel nail that had dangerously moved from his shoulder to his throat just 2 mm away from piercing a major blood vessel near the oesophagus (food pipe).
SAMC general secretary Dr Mahak Bhandari said that a 40-year-old man from Paikunda village, Dhar, was admitted with persistent cough, cold, and throat pain for nearly two weeks.
Investigations revealed that around two and a half years ago, he had suffered a collarbone fracture in an accident and the 5 cm steel nail (K-wire) was inserted in his shoulder to stabilise the fracture.
The patient had been leading a normal life until a month ago, when, after a sudden injury to his shoulder, the steel nail displaced and dangerously moved towards his throat, reaching up to the oesophagus, he said.
Dr Bhandari informed that, considering the critical condition, an immediate surgery was performed under the leadership of Dr Vishal Munjal, HoD, ENT Department. After a complex 2.5-hour-long operation, the sharp steel nail was successfully removed, saving the patient’s life.
Dr Munjal stated that this was the first such case in his decades-long career and likely the first in the state. He explained that if the nail had moved even 2 mm further, it could have pierced a major blood vessel , causing fatal bleeding.
