35-year-old Bricklayer is very lucky to have survived after he accidentally fell off from a one-storey building where he was working.
The Bricklayer had landed with the left lateral anterior Neck, on a hammer that was placed on the ground with the handle facing upwards. The hammer pierced via the anterior and exited on the posterior.
According to the reports from Dr. Ibekwe Nnaemeka (SR ENT, FMC Owerri), Federal Medical Center, Owerri, the man was fortunately not in any respiratory distress and vitals were relatively stable when he was brought in, so emergency response of Surgeons on call saved a Life at around 10:30pm yesterday, Tuesday.
Dr. Ibekwe Nnaemeka narrated: “Being the Senior Registrar on call in Ear, Nose and Throat and Head and Neck Surgeon, I called out 2 ENT Consultants, quickly raised alarm and invited the Vascular Surgeons, Burns and plastic, Traumatologist / Spine Surgeons, Anaesthetist, & Theatre Peri-op Nurses informed to get set.”
“Necessary urgent Investigations were done, thanks to our Med. Laboratory Scientist Friends, who acted promptly as the urgency demands, gave us 4 units of screened / cross matched blood and provided the results needed as fast as possible.
“Within a short while, all the invited Surgeons storm the Casualty, we quickly wheeled the patient to the theatre and Neck Exploration with foreign body removal was done.
“Miraculous intra-Op Findings: The hammer neatly passed *medial* to the Carotid vessel and IJV and *lateral* to the Oesophagus, Trachea and the Vertebral column.
“Patient was later transferred to the ICU by the Anaesthetist for observation. Early this morning when checked, Patient is doing very well, vitals are still stable.”
More photos from the surgery below.
