New Delhi: Diabetes, hypertension, respiratory failure and kidney failure. Add to this, twin fractures in limbs. Bogged down by these co-morbidities, the lady @76 is a perfect candidate for being COVID’s prey-up for grabs by the deadly virus.
But she is not done yet. Even in this precarious state, she dares to see light at the end of COVID tunnel. She has gotten the limbs restored in Indraprastha Apollo hospital to keep up her heroic tryst with life. In a panic stricken environment wherein senior citizens are the most vulnerable to COVID-19, this is an example which inspires. 76-year-old lady underwent a highly complex surgery of both the lower limbs and the hip.
A resident of Delhi, the patient was admitted to Indraprastha Apollo with fracture in her femur on the right side and her neck femur on the left side, three weeks ago. She had also suffered from Type 2 respiratory failure and chronic renal failure. Moreover, she was suffering from co-morbidities like obesity, severe diabetes and hypertension that made the treatment complex.
Dr Yash Gulati, Senior Consultant, Joint Replacement & Spine, Institutes of Orthopedics, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, who led these surgeries, said, “ Trauma cases like this are always high risk, given the age of the patient and co-morbidities like diabetes and hypertension. When the patient was admitted to the hospital through emergency, she had two fractures, one on the right side of the femur and other on the left side of the neck femur. After further examination she was diagnosed with respiratory failure and chronic renal failure due to damage in the pelvic area. It was also discovered that the patient has a history of a heart bypass surgery. The situation was critical, and any delay in treatment could have been life-threatening.”
The team of doctors acted fast and after stabilizing her vitals we immediately conducted two surgeries in a single sitting to restore the lower limbs and the pelvic area. A hip replacement was done along with bone correction surgery for both her lower limbs. After the successful surgeries the patient was put under observation and extensive supervision for three weeks in the ICU. The role of the emergency team is administering immediate response played a very crucial part in saving the patient’s life.
“The patient was discharged with restored structure of limbs and hip area, lesser pain and regained partial movement of limbs. Total movement will be restored in a couple of months with exercise and medical supervision” added Dr Gulati.
