The critically injured victim of a bear attack is recovering at the BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals here. The attack had taken place at Revenasiddeshwara Betta, Ramanagaram, around 7.30 pm on February 22.

Mahesh (name changed), 30, is a machine operator at a factory. Mahesh and his family were visiting the hill for a festival when he was mauled by the bear. He suffered severe injuries on the scalp, face, back and right upper limb.

The patient’s condition was stabilised with adequate fluid and blood resuscitation. The hospital ensured availability of sufficient blood before a surgery was performed on him as the left cheek wound was very close to the main blood vessel to the brain and there were chances of major bleeding. The operation took close to six hours.

Dr Madhusudan G, senior consultant and in-charge, department of plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery of the hospital, said, “The patient was fortunate to escape injury to major blood vessels of the neck and head. We were able to repair the near total avulsion of eyelids, complete avulsion of the ear framework and complex nose structural damage while preserving the function and structural integrity. We may need to make secondary corrections to the nose, eyelids and ears later. Hence, a good post-operative follow-up treatment is crucial.”

The patient has been administered anti-rabies vaccine and antibiotics to prevent sepsis from the multiple species of bacteria that may have been transferred from the animal. The patient is expected to be discharged in a few days.