Kerala man gets new lease of life after airgun bullet injures his brain

Kochi: A 33-year-old man from Kerala who was brought to the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi with a gunshot injury on October 30 has returned to life after going through tough moments, with the help of man and machine.

A 10-year-old had accidentally shot the resident of Cherpu in Thrissur district from 3-4 feet with an airgun. The child was under the impression that it was an unloaded gun. The bullet pierced into the left temporal region of the head, 2 cm above the tragus of left ear, causing profuse bleeding.

A CT scan at a Thrissur hospital confirmed the presence of a bullet-like object in the left temporal lobe, the part of the brain that controls speech and vision. An MRI scan on the patient was not possible since the high magnetic fields of the machine could disturb the metallic object and cause more internal damages. The patient was then sent to AIMS.

At the AIMS, the man underwent a robot-guided endoscopy assisted surgery led by Dr Parasuram of the Neurosurgery Department. “The relatives were briefed in detail about the critical nature of the injury and possible neurological complications after the surgery. They were also told that it may not be possible to retrieve the pellet if there is a possibility of injury to the surrounding neurovascular structures. Since the injury happened to the left part of the brain which controls memory, speech faculty and intelligence, cut open surgery was not possible since it can endanger his life,” AIMS officials said.

The AIMS doctors made 3-inch incisions on the skull and successfully removed the bullet with the help of a robot named ROSA. The man was shifted to ICU for neurological stability. After the visual and general health condition, including speech ability of the patient, has been reported normal, he has since been allowed to go home.