Man injured with a rod pierced in body, to be discharged in a week

Salim Shaikh (33) a labourer from Nashik who suffered a most bizarre accident, when a a four feet of rod pierced through his torso on March 8, is to be discharged from Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy (JJ) hospital within a week.

A team of doctors said he was admitted to the hospital on March 9, with a rod that had entered from his groin to the collarbone. Dr Ajay Bhandarwar, HOD, General Surgery told Free Press Jorunal, the doctors first took a CT scan of Salim which showed the rod had entered through the groin. This rod had pierced through the right testicle and urinary bladder, but luckily missed the right kidney. It went through the small and large bowels, again missing the liver and lung and exited through right collar bone. “It is indeed unusual the way the rod has pierced his body and safely not touched vital organs of Salim’s body,” said Dr Bhandarwar.

The doctors said the fact Shaikh’s vital organs were not damaged, has saved his life in this bizarre accident. “He did not sustained any fatal internal bleeding as the rod missed two vital organs such as lungs and liver,” said Dr Bhandarwar.

While working at a building construction site on March 8, Shaikh slipped and fell on the iron rod that was jutting out of concrete pillars. His coworkers cut the iron rod to detach him from the pillar. However, with no medical means available nearby, and unaware of the state government’s free 108 ambulance service, family brought him to JJ Hospital at around 5pm.

Two teams of doctors from the laparoscopic and general surgery departments performed the surgery to remove the rod, secure internal bleeding and prevent any further infection caused due to the metal rod with the help of antibiotics.