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Knife removed from man’s lung after 26 yrs

31/ 8/2007

A TEAM of doctors in West Bengal, India have succcessfully removed a 4-inch long knife which was imbedded in a man’s right lung for 26 years.

The operation was carried out with the most basic surgical equipment which included a borrowed portable X-ray monitoring machine.

Principal Medical Officer, Dr P.D. Bhutia was shocked when Diley Rai told him said he had been carrying a knife inside his body for the past 26 years.

Said Dr Bhutia "We did a lateral view X-Ray and saw that a 4-inch blade was embedded in the lower part of his right lungs.

"We told Rai that he should go to a better-equipped hospital in Siliguri or Kolkata and get it removed, but he insisted we operate upon him here as he did not have the money to go elsewhere."

Dr Debobroto Das, a surgeon in Darjeeling Sadar Hospital who helped with the operation said: "We decided to take up the challenge.

"It was a grueling, two-hour struggle for the team of doctors and support staff, before the blade was finally extracted. Two of Rai’s ribs had to be cut.

"There were many complications. The entry wound had closed. The knife was totally embedded in his lungs.

"There were chances of the patient going into torrential hemorrhage and collapsing."

"Rai will take 15 days to recover if post-operative complications don’t arise."

Dr Bhutia added. "Given the circumstances, we are relieved that it is finally over. In fact, the whole team broke into an applause the moment the knife was retrieved."

The hospital had waived charges for the bed and tests that had to be conducted before the surgery.

The patient who is now recovering said he was stabbed way back in 1981 when he tried to break a fight between two armed men in his village.

He said: "I intervened and someone stabbed me from the back. I was taken to the Sadar Hospital in Darjeeling.

"The doctors there patched me up without bothering to get an X-Ray done."