A team of doctors attached to the Gampola hospital surgically removed a 4-foot long piece of wood which had penetrated the thigh of a woodcutter and emerged through his hip.
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| Pic.shows the victims’s leg pierced by the branch . Inset victim Chandana Kumarage |
The injury occurred when a part of a branch from the falling tree fell on woodcutter -Chandana Kumarage- who had fallen on his back. The piece of wood pierced him through his thigh and emerged through his hip.
The injured wood cutter was rushed to the neighbouring Kurunduwatta hospital where doctors stabilised the injury area. However as that hospital did not have the capacity to perform the necessary surgery, he was transferred to the Gampola hospital.
Doctors at the Gampola hospital who were informed of the precarious situation, were ready and waiting when the patient arrived.
Director of the Gampola hospital D.R.K. Herath made preliminary preparations for the surgery. The surgery itself was performed buy a team of doctors led by Dr. Kanishka Kamal and comprised surgeons Anuradha Wijewardene, P. Ekanayake, anaesthetist D. Wijesinghe and one other.
The surgery took one and-a-half hours.
Doctors said since onlookers had made no attempt to remove the piece of wood, the removal of the object was made easy and carried out without endangering the life of the patient.
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| Dr. Kanishka Kamal |
Chaminda the wood cutter who never lost consciousness, either at the time of the accident or while being transported to hospital informed the doctors he had had the presence of mind to warn friends who came to his aid, not to use a knife to cut the branch.
He said he had asked them to use a saw to cut the branch without aggravating the injury.
Doctors said people should take this case as an example and never attempt to remove imbedded objects. They said attempts to remove foreign bodies by non professionals could lead to haemorrhage as well as to damage of vital organs. |
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