A lifesaving surgery saved 55-year-old woman who had multiple complications with survival uncertainty
Mumbai: Imagine having a 50/50 probability of having your pain treated on the first visit to the doctor. That is true for the vast majority of hernia patients who need surgery. You must complete it correctly the first time or you will be starting again. A similar case has occurred at Zen Multispeciality Hospital where a patient had to undergo hiatal hernia surgery again due to health complications that had arisen from its previous surgery.
A 55-year-old woman had undergone her initial Hiatal Hernia surgery in the local hospital of Jalgaon after which she started experiencing post-surgery complications. Her surgical stitches had loosened and started breaking as a result of which caused her fundus (the upper part of our stomach where food gets stored) to slide over her left lung, eventually creating stress in her lungs and dropping her blood pressure as well oxygen level at 70. She had severe chest pain & breathlessness due to the collapse of her lungs and was shifted overnight via ambulance to Zen Hospital for her further treatment.
A hiatus hernia occurs when a portion of the stomach (fundus) pushes into the chest cavity. The hernia enters through a hole in the food tube (oesophagus) on its journey to the stomach. But in this particular case, the fundus had slid over her left lung causing a drop in her blood pressure and oxygen levels. This made it difficult to operate on her.
Dr. Roy Patankar, Leading Gastrointestinal & Robotic Surgeon, Zen Multispeciality Hospital said, “Our CT scans showed that the fundus had turned dark due to no blood supply and her pulse dropped from 140 bp to 80 systolic. The patient had to be put on a ventilator to improve her blood and oxygen levels. It was a death-on-table case as she had to wait for 2 hours till her blood oxygen levels were in normal range. This was a case of high-risk ischemia with a life-threatening complication. Once her levels were down, we performed the laparoscopy surgery to bring down the fundus which had slid above her lung. The procedure took almost 4 hours and after the operation, the small cut (incision) that was made during her surgery was closed with a surgical mesh to ensure the sutures don’t loosen again.”
The patient was kept under observation for 48 hours and with proper care, she eventually recovered and was discharged in the next 7 days. “The very best time to get your hernia treated, with the highest chances of a positive result, is the first time,” Dr. Roy Patankar adds. “You want to go to someone who is an expert and knows all of your options. This reduces the likelihood of such kinds of post-surgery complications or hernia recurrence.”
The patient, Mrs. Samina Biba said, “I am grateful to Dr. Roy Patankar and the Zen Hospital staff for the excellent care they offered for my hiatal hernia. Because of their hard work and commitment, I will be able to recuperate fully and return to daily life. Their competence, professionalism, and dedication to patient pleasure were unrivalled.”