Mumbai Doctors Perform Complex Surgery Free Of Cost To Restore Young Man's Ability To Eat & Breathe Following Devastating Accident

Mumbai: A 20-year-old boy regained his ability to eat, breathe and swallow after two years of puncturing his esophagus due to a devastating accident. A team of doctors performed a complex surgery free-of-cost to provide a new lease of life to the boy.

About The Case

In December 2022, Tauhid Khan, a resident of the Mahal area on the outskirts of Nagpur, met with this tragic accident when he was riding his bike. A bamboo-carrying truck ahead of him took an unexpected turn due to which a bamboo pole dislodged and pierced his neck. The impact caused significant damage, puncturing his esophagus (food pipe). He was initially treated in Nagpur, but complications arose when he developed an infection known as empyema in his right lung.

To address the infection, doctors performed lung surgery and attempted to close the hole in his esophagus. While the food pipe was repaired, the procedure did not relieve him. An endoscopic stent was later placed to prevent leakage, but this, too, was unsuccessful. To his dismay, a critical complication emerged due to an abnormal connection formed between his food pipe and windpipe. As a result, every time he swallowed, his saliva would leak into his windpipe and reach his lungs, causing relentless coughing and breathlessness. Despite undergoing lung decortication and having a chest tube placed, his condition continued to worsen, leaving him in urgent need of further medical intervention.

For a year, Tauhid had to rely on a plastic cup to remove saliva from his mouth, as he couldn’t swallow it. His family watched in despair as his future seemed uncertain, but they refused to lose hope. He had lost weight, dropping from 60 kg to just 33 kg. He was battling a severe sepsis infection that had spread throughout his body, his lung function was critically poor, and he had been struggling with breathlessness for two years and was barely able to walk 10 meters. 

Upon examination, an abnormal connection between the food pipe and the trachea (windpipe) was confirmed, explaining his ongoing suffering and deteriorating health. A feeding tube was placed in his small intestine to help improve his nutrition. Over the next six months, his health gradually stabilized, and once his nutrition improved, he was scheduled for surgery in March.

A team of expert doctors, including gastroenterologist Dr. Roy Patankar, oncosurgeon Dr. Tanveer Majid and anaesthetists Dr Pramod Kale and Dr Vikas Nair successfully restored the boy’s ability to eat, swallow, and breathe with a complex surgery performed free-of-cost.

He underwent an eight-hour surgery to repair the hole in both his windpipe and food pipe. A large neck muscle called the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) was carefully detached and placed between the food pipe and windpipe. This muscle, with its own blood supply, acted as a protective barrier to prevent future infections, a technique known as a muscular flap procedure.

Dr Patankar said, “All major blood vessels in the neck were preserved, making it a highly intricate operation. The uneventful surgery lasted eight hours, and Tauhid was kept on a ventilator for five days before stabilizing. He is discharged now and able to swallow food orally. He will start gaining weight in the coming months. Soon, the feeding tube in his intestine will also be removed, and he can eat solid food.”

Dr Majeed said, "This case is a testament to the human spirit's ability to persevere in the face of adversity. We are privileged to have played a role in this young man's journey, and we hope his story inspires others never to give up hope.”

news