11,000 volt-shock survivor to undergo 11th surgery

An MBA student has been admitted to a Delhi hospital for his eleventh surgery after he received an electric shock while attending a phone call eight months ago. 

The 23-year-old was on the terrace and the magnetic field surrounding the cellphone got mixed with the electrical field of 11,000 volt high tension wires passing over the roof. 

The patient has been admitted to the hospital for reconstruction of eyelid and implant of eyeball. “The burns were so extensive on the face that facial bone was burnt,” said Dr Swaroop Singh Gambhir of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where he was first brought last year in August and most of his surgeries were carried out. 

The doctors said that the current apparently had entered through the mobile into the ears of the patient and existed through the groin, as the groin was touching the parapet. The mobile had blasted near his ears and resulted in severe third degree electrical burns.After the shock the patient was unable to remember the events, said Gambhir. 

“The challenge to us was to salvage whatever tissues were remaining, prevent the infection and reconstruct the damaged structures to as normal as possible. This required multiple surgeries and regular follow-up,” he said. 

In eight months, the survivor has gone undergone 10 surgeries. “We managed to cover the facial bones and gave him near normal skin. Along with this, his groin, thighs and penile area have also been reconstructed,” added Dr Gambhir.  

Accidental contact with high voltage electricity may result in severe injury or death, doctors said. 

This can occur as a person’s body provides a path for current flow, causing tissue damage and heart failure.