In a rare case of massive hemoptysis, doctors at a city hospital fixed the blood vessels with glue to stop the flow of blood in a 60-year-old man--avoiding any surgical intervention.
The patient Bhim Singh, was brought to the emergency ward of the north Delhi-based Saroj Super Specialty Hospital on the intervening night of February 17 with massive hemoptysis--a condition marked by excessive blood flow, more than 100-600 ml in 24 hours.
Hemoptysis occurs when tiny blood vessels that line the lung airways are broken."Bronchoscopy was performed on the patient and we could not see anything in airways. After great efforts, we localized the bleeding segments of lungs which was coming from right bronchial tree.
"I placed the bronchoscope glue (quick fix) (N-Butylcynoacrylate) to seal the bleeding bronchus," said Rakes K Chawla, Senior Consultant, Respiratory Medicine, Critical Care and Sleep Disorder.
Chawla, who has been handling such cases since 2005, said that the precedure was one of its kind as active hemoptysis was controlled with glue under local anaesthesia without any surgical intervention simply with bronchoscopy.
"We left the endo-tracheal tube to keep the airway and avoid any choking of airways. Yesterday, we checked through bronchoscopy, everything was in order and we extubated the patient," Chawla said.
The patient is recuperating at neuro-ICU and his condition is regularly being monitored for the cause of hemoptysis with X ray, CECT Chest and other investigations.
"He will be discharged after a month," he said.