Bhubaneswar, July 10: Doctors at Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bhubaneswar, successfully performed a complex emergency surgery to save the life of a 22-year-old businessman from Rourkela after an arrow became lodged deep inside his chest, narrowly missing his heart.
The young man sustained the unusual and life-threatening injury in an accident and was taken to several hospitals. However, given the high-risk nature of the case, doctors refrained from attempting to remove the arrow. Medical experts later said that decision was critical, as premature removal could have triggered massive internal bleeding.
After being referred to KIMS, the patient was immediately evaluated by a multidisciplinary team comprising specialists from the Departments of General Surgery, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS), Anaesthesiology and other supporting units. The emergency procedure was led by Dr. Amaresh Mishra, Head of the Department of General Surgery, along with Dr. S.K. Sahu, Dr. P.S. Pujari, Dr. D. Hota, Dr. S. Samal and other senior surgeons.
According to the surgical team, penetrating chest injuries involving arrows are extremely uncommon and require meticulous planning before intervention.
“The arrow itself can temporarily block damaged blood vessels, preventing catastrophic bleeding. Removing it without adequate preparation can prove fatal. In this case, the fact that the arrow remained undisturbed until the patient reached us significantly improved the chances of a successful outcome,” the doctors explained.
During the operation, surgeons first accessed the abdominal cavity before opening the chest to determine the trajectory of the arrow. They found that the projectile had pierced the lung but had narrowly missed the heart.
Once the arrow was carefully extracted, heavy bleeding from the injured lung began immediately. The surgical team quickly controlled the bleeding and repaired the damaged lung tissue with the support of the CTVS specialists. The coordinated effort ensured the patient remained stable throughout the procedure.
Following surgery, the patient recovered steadily and has since been discharged from the hospital. Doctors said he is expected to resume a normal life after completing his recovery.
The patient’s family expressed heartfelt gratitude to the medical team, recalling that they had nearly lost hope after multiple hospitals declined to undertake the surgery because of its complexity.
“We were turned away from several hospitals as the case was considered too risky. At KIMS, the doctors acted without delay, planned the surgery carefully and saved my brother’s life. We will always remain grateful for the treatment and care he received,” the patient’s brother said.
Congratulating the medical team, Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT, KISS and KIMS, praised the doctors for their clinical excellence and said the successful surgery reflected the advanced emergency care and multidisciplinary expertise available at KIMS.