Two-year ordeal ends; bullet extracted from Yemeni's lung

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: A surgery at Aster RV Hospitals in Bengaluru marked an important moment in cardiothoracic surgery.

The hospital successfully removed a bullet that had been embedded in the chest wall of a 21-year-old Yemeni man for nearly two years.

The patient, named Wasim for privacy, presented symptoms like a persistent cough, breathing difficulties, and blood in his sputum.

A pulmonologist's examination led to an X-ray, which identified a metallic object within his chest wall. There were no visible external signs of injury and a subsequent CT chest scan revealed a bullet that had lodged itself in a precarious position, nestled between the lung, liver, heart, and diaphragm.

Hailing from war-torn Yemen, Wasim found himself relieved from chronic pain that had haunted him since sustaining multiple gunshot wounds during civil unrest back home.

Undergoing a thorough examination, the hospital's team pinpointed a 4x2x2 cm bullet dangerously positioned near vital organs in his right lung. Led by Dr. Divakar Bhat, a Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgeon, the two-hour surgery to precision and strategic planning.

The operation, performed using fluoroscopic guidance, necessitated extensive incisions to safely extract the bullet without harming surrounding organs, despite the infection surrounding it. Dr. Divakar Bhat commented, "This surgery was particularly challenging due to the bullet's proximity to sensitive organs.”

Post-surgery, Wasim showed immediate improvement, even displaying an appetite shortly after the procedure.