Poly-trauma patient with 10 fractures treated successfully

CHENNAI: A 35-year-old man who met with an accident and suffered more than 10 fractures, was successfully treated after several complex procedures at a private hospital in the city.

The patient was brought to Promed Hospital in an unconscious state with laboured breathing. He met with an accident on 16th March 2022, around 5 pm while on his way home on a two-wheeler near Kovalam after a collision with a lorry.

On examination upon arrival, the patient had maxillary bone fractures, his upper set and lower set of teeth were broken and he also suffered fracture of the inferior nasal spine and a lacerated upper lip. The patient could not be intubated because of multiple fractures. Completing the basic blood investigations, he was found to have high blood pressure, difficulty in breathing and was put on a ventilator.

A multidisciplinary team performed critical procedures including pelvic external fixation, closed reduction and wrist spanning external fixators on the left side, closed reduction and K-wire fixation of the right wrist. He was administered general anesthesia and a tracheostomy was carried out on the patient to deliver oxygen to the lungs as he was not able to breathe normally after the accident.

Post-procedure, the patient was gradually weaned from mechanical ventilation, and his neurological status improved. Tracheostomy decannulation was done and the patient was able to take spontaneous breaths and phonate well. The patient had a few episodes of delirious behaviour for which a psychiatrist’s opinion was obtained and orders were followed. After going through 31 days of intensive treatment, the patient was discharged.

"After the constant close outpatient management and follow-ups for two months, the patient is now able to walk and perform his activities on his own and is ready to join work. Road accidents contribute to 83 percent of all traffic-related deaths in India and in particular motorbike accident is the major cause of death resulting from polytrauma. It gives us immense pleasure that the patient has successfully recovered,” said Dr Spoorthi Arun, Managing Director, Promed Hospital.