With strong will power, 101 year old Kamala Devi survives rare surgery

A fall and fracture couldn’t keep down hundred and one year old Kamala Devi, who through sheer will power and the help of precision surgery is back on her feet again. She survived a hip surgery and started walking again, a rare thing at her age.

Few believed that this frail but spirited great-grandmother whose feet touched the ground in 1917, would ever walk again after she suffered a fall and broke her left hip two weeks ago in Jodhpur. After being operated upon by Orthopedic surgeon Dr S S Sankhala and Anesthetist Dr Shyam Sunder Varandani’s teams though she is back on her feet again.

As per Dr. Sankhala, a retired Senior Professor and Unit Head (ortho spine) at SMS Hospital’s Orthopedics department and presently Head & senior consultant Orthopaedic surgeon at Metro MAS hospital, the surgery called ‘Proximal Femoral Nailing in this case was delicate looking at the fragile bones of patient. “Operation was performed without using any artificial transplant (prosthesis). The bones are weak in a centenarian and thus such surgery is unlikely due to severe osteoporosis and often adverse health conditions”, Dr. Sankhala told DH.

Complications

Doctors also feared that post surgery fatal complications like pneumonia, bed sores and Urinary tract infection may result. However, customized physiotherapy and post-operative medication related to osteoporosis were administered following the surgery and the patient is now feeling healthy.

“She could sustain the long journey back home to Jodhpur and now is walking with the help of a walker which shall gradually be removed. It's her will power that made her stand again on her feet and of course the care her family members had shown towards her also helped.”

Surrounded by her great grand children in Jodhpur, white haired Kamala Devi, fondly addressed as 'Bhabo Ji' by her family members shared with DH, “When doctors refused to operate upon me in Jodhpur I became hopeless and couldn't imagine that I can walk again. But after getting treated by Jaipur doctors I started feeling hopeful post surgery. My family has been the biggest support which strengthened my will power.”