NIMHANS operates on seven Covid-19 patients in one month

In the past month, seven Covid-19 positive patients have been operated upon at NIMHANS including four patients of trauma/stroke, two with infections and one aneurysm.

Brain haemorrhage secondary to an aneurysm is a deadly disease with a 25% death rate in the first 24 hours. Surgery for aneurysms is one of the most delicate and demanding procedures. Recently, a 35-year-old patient presented with a ruptured brain aneurysm, and to add to the complications, she tested positive for Covid-19.

Since aneurysmal surgery is an emergency, the operation had to be performed immediately. She was successfully operated upon despite the complex surgery lasting for four to five hours. Dr Dwarakanath S, Professor and Head, Department of Neurosurgery, and Dr Radhakrishnan K, Professor and Head, Department of Neuroanaesthesia and Neurocritical Care, said in a statement that she was managed both for aneurysm and Covid-19 at the designated neurosurgical ward at NIMHANS.

Dr Dwarakanath said, "She was saved from not one but two life-threatening events. Imagine the stress on the operating team, especially in a PPE, which hampers normal reflexes and also makes the surgeon extremely uncomfortable. However, she was successfully operated upon with all the necessary precautions taken by the operating team."