First ever spine surgery in Karaikal GH helps a daily wage worker walk again

A 50-year-old daily wage worker from a village located in Tirunallar commune fell from a height of 20 feet while climbing up a palm tree a week ago and broke his thigh bone and spine. Thanks to the efforts of doctors at the Karikal Government Hospital, he is walking again in a week’s time.

A 50-year-old daily wage worker from a village located in Tirunallar commune fell from a height of 20 feet while climbing up a palm tree a week ago and broke his thigh bone and spine. Thanks to the efforts of doctors at the Karikal Government Hospital, he is walking again in a week’s time.

It was the first ever spine surgery done at the hospital, said S. Kannagi, Medical Superintendent of the hospital. The hospital is now equipped with necessary infrastructure to handle such critical cases.

“The patient, on being admitted was diagnosed with a thigh bone (femur) fracture and spine fracture (L2 and L3 spine bone) with a loss of around 1.5 litres of blood. Within a few hours of admission, we performed the first surgery on the thigh,” said N. Arul Kumar, assistant professor, Orthopaedics and Trauma, JIPMER- Karaikal who headed the surgery team.

“In the next two days, surgery for the spine fracture was done. A spine implant was kept replacing the broken spine bone. Four units (350 ml) of blood transfusion was done. As the patient had a Ayushman Bharat health card, the GH could procure the necessary implant material through it,” said Dr. Arul

The patient can now walk with the help of a walker and he would recover completely within a month’s time, said Dr. Arul.

The surgery would cost around ₹3 lakh in private hospitals in tier 2 and tier 1 cities, which was done for free of cost at the government hospital, he added.

As the work for setting up the soon to be opened Karaikal JIPMER is in full swing, doctors of the Karaikal JIPMER work in tandem with the Karaikal GH for the benefit of patients.