Construction worker operated upon

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, JULY 8. A man who fell from a 60 feet construction site in the city and had his leg impaled by an iron rod was operated upon by a team of surgeons at the Government General Hospital.

Bala, 36, was brought to the GH from the site on Govindappa Naicken Street, after co-workers severed the rod, and a team of surgeons operated for 90 minutes to remove it without damaging the blood vessels in the leg.

The GH Dean, Prof. M. Chellappan reviewed the work of the surgical team, which comprised of, among others, Orthopaedic surgeons Dr. R. Dhanapal, Dr. M. Sudhir and Dr. R. Chinnathambi.

The surgical team managed to minimise the abrasive damage to blood vessels, after the vascular surgeons, Dr. S. R. Subramaniam and Dr. J. Amalorpavanathan decided to introduce a surgical rubber sleeve around the metal rod before removing it.

Many kinds of acutely traumatic orthopaedic injuries are brought to the GH. Last year, the pillion rider of a two wheeler had to be operated upon to remove the ``kick starter'' of the vehicle which had pierced his ankle when it was hit by an autorickshaw from behind.

Earlier, a man on a tractor was almost killed when a metal implement used to tether a cow got stuck to the rear wheel and stabbed his body.

``Most road accidents result in terrible orthopaedic injuries, but there is little thought devoted to such risks and prolonged suffering by official agencies, enforcement authorities and the insurance industry,'' a doctor said.

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Section  : Southern States
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