Mumbai: Man survives 32 fractures after accident, doctors stunned

Dr Sachin Bhonsle with Kiran Jadhav, who was discharged on October 23

When Kiran Jadhav, 46, was wheeled into the emergency room of a private hospital in Mulund, his condition stunned the doctors. He had sustained 32 life-threatening fractures in a road accident. After spending 22 days in the hospital, the Kalyan resident is back on his feet and returned home last week. Jadhav, a staunch believer of Lord Ganesh, called his recovery a blessing of the elephant god.

Jadhav was on his way to the Titwala Ganpati temple when a truck rammed into the auto he was in. He was taken to a local hospital but seeing the complexity of his injuries, his parents and friends decided to take him to a better-equipped facility.

"He was brought to our emergency room in extremely critical condition. He had suffered life-threatening injuries to his head and spine and had chest and abdomen trauma. He also had major blood loss that led to hypovolemic shock, fat embolism, acute respiratory disorder syndrome, kidney failure, crushed muscles and so on," Dr Sachin Bhonsle, senior consultant-joint replacement surgeon at Fortis Hospitals.

Dr Bhonsle and a multidisciplinary team took four days to stabilise Jadhav. "On day three of the admission, we fixed his fractures. We had planned a half day surgery to fix the 30 fractures," said Dr Bhonsle.

The doctor said they used what medical experts call the ‘delto-pectoral approach' down to the entire length of the arm that involved opening the shoulder joints and moving onto the hand and other parts of the body to fix fractures by implanting screws and plates. "All bones from the shoulder blade and arm bone to forearm bones and the wrist were fixed in a single sitting," he said.

Jadhav, a personal assistant in a private company, underwent rehabilitation and physiotherapy before being discharged. Jadhav said he is a regular at Titwala Ganesh temple. "I remember being taken to a nearby hospital and later falling unconscious. Colleagues told me my chances of survival were slim, yet the doctors ensured that I pulled through. While it's a blessing of Lord Ganpati, my family and I are thankful to the doctors and my colleagues who took a timely call and shifted me," said Jadhav who was discharged on October 23.