Man lives after rod pierces neck, narrowly misses brain and spine in Gurgaon; no neurological deficits

GURGAON:A 34-year-old construction worker is recovering after doctors at a private hospital in the city successfully removed a steel rod that had pierced the back of his head and exited through the neck, narrowly missing major blood vessels, the spinal cord and critical brain parts.The man was wheeled into the emergency ward of Artemis Hospital last week. Emergency responders had cut the rod down at the scene, still the portion that remained lodged was around 2.5 feet long. The rod’s position limited the patient’s movements. He was administered anaesthesia in sitting position and operated upon in semi-reclining position.A multidisciplinary team was set up, led by Dr Shashidhar TB, head of the ENT department.

Dr Aseem Srivastava (CTVS), Dr Manan and anaesthetist Dr Jude were also in the team.

To understand exactly where the rod had travelled, a CT scan was performed. Since the protruding rod made standard positioning impossible, the patient's posture was modified to fit him into the CT gantry. The scan was used to map the rod's trajectory and its proximity to vital structures, guiding the surgical plan.Anaesthesia was administered with the patient in a sitting position, a departure from routine practice made necessary by the rod's angle and the need to avoid shifting it.

In the operating theatre, the team continued with a semi-reclined posture to maintain access and control while reducing the risk of sudden movement or pressure on the embedded metal."The situation required careful planning and precision at each step. Our focus was on ensuring the safest possible outcome, given the extraordinary nature of the injury," Shashidhar said.Following the surgery, doctors confirmed that the rod had passed dangerously close to the carotid arteries, jugular veins and spinal cord. The team, according to doctors involved, first secured the major blood vessels to protect against ‘catastrophic bleeding', then carefully mobilised the rod along its track and extracted it in a controlled manner. After removal, doctors repaired the damaged tissues. The patient came out of surgery with no neurological deficits. "The rod's path missed every structure that would have caused immediate death or permanent disability. With timely intervention, the patient got a second chance at life," Shashidhar said.The injury is believed to have been caused by a fall at the construction site, which led to the rod piercing the neck laterally, at an angle. The incident underlines the need for wearing safety gear at all times at project sites.