New Delhi: A 15-year-old boy from Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, has survived a fall from the 18th floor after nearly two months of treatment for life-threatening injuries, including spinal cord damage, lung and liver trauma, multiple fractures and extensive wounds.The teenager was brought to a hospital in a state of shock, with severe blood loss and dangerously low blood pressure. He required ventilator support, blood transfusions and emergency treatment to stabilise his condition.Doctors found a fractured and dislocated spine, multiple rib fractures, blood in the chest cavity, a liver injury, and fractures in his right arm and left leg. He also suffered extensive degloving injuries, in which skin and underlying soft tissue are torn away from the structures beneath them.Given his unstable condition, doctors prioritised spinal fixation to stabilise the damaged spine before undertaking further procedures. Dr Rajinder Kumar, principal director and unit head, Neurosurgery, at Yashoda Medicity, Indirapuram, led the initial surgery.“This was an extremely high-risk trauma with multiple life-threatening injuries and severe blood loss. The biggest challenge was deciding what needed to be addressed first while the patient was in profound shock,” Dr Kumar said.The boy subsequently underwent multiple surgeries to treat his fractures and wounds, including further procedures to manage extensive soft-tissue damage.Dr Brajesh Koushle, director and unit head, Orthopaedics, Joint Replacement and Sports Medicine, and Dr Shobhit Sharma, principal consultant, Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, were involved in the treatment.His recovery was complicated by a severe chest infection and a drug-resistant infection, requiring continued critical care. Paediatric intensivists Dr Karan Ahluwalia and Dr Anuj Dhyani also supported his treatment.After nearly two months in hospital, the teenager has been discharged and will require continued follow-up and rehabilitation.
