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Medically Verified By: Dr Roy Patankar, gastroenterologist, GI, and robotic surgeon at Zen Multi Specialty Hospital
More Than 2 Years After A Freak Accident 20-Yr-Old Regains Ability to Eat, Breathe, Swallow (Representational image/Freepik)
Case study: Just last month, a team of doctors -- comprising Dr Roy Patankar, gastroenterologist, GI, and robotic surgeon at Zen Multi Specialty Hospital, along with Dr Tanveer Majid, onco-surgeon; Dr Pramod Kale, chief anaesthetist; and Dr Vikas Nair, an anaesthetist -- successfully restored a 20-year-old boy's ability to eat, swallow, and breathe on his own after he survived a freak accident that left him struggling for two whole years. The patient endured multiple failed treatments that led to severe complications. His health condition had worsened until life-saving surgeries were performed on him. Read on to know more.
In December 2022, the then-18-year-old patient, a resident of Nagpur, met with an accident while riding a bike. On the road, a truckload of bamboo was ahead of him. The vehicle took an unexpected turn, resulting in a bamboo pole piercing his neck. There was significant damage: a punctured esophagus. While the boy was initially treated in Nagpur, complications arose when he developed an infection called 'empyema' in his right lung, for which a lung surgery was performed on him with doctors attempting to close the hole in his esophagus. The food pipe was repaired, but the procedure did not fully help him. Later, an endoscopic stent was placed to prevent leakage. But, it was unsuccessful.
Another critical complication emerged because an 'abnormal connection' had formed between his food pipe and windpipe. As a result, every time the patient swallowed, his saliva would leak into his windpipe and reach his lungs, causing immense coughing and breathlessness. Despite undergoing a 'lung decortication' procedure and having a chest tube inserted, his condition continued to worsen. The patient needed urgent medical intervention.
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For the entirety of 2023, the patient had to rely on a spittoon (a sort of a cup) to manually remove saliva from his mouth. He visited multiple hospitals, but to no avail. His family watched his condition deteriorate, but refused to give up on him. They then decided to visit Zen Hospital in October 2024.
When he arrived there, the patient's health condition was severe. According to a statement shared by the hospital, he had lost weight -- from 60 kg to just 33 kg. He battled a sepsis infection that had spread throughout his body; his lung function was critically poor; he had been struggling with breathlessness and was barely able to walk. Unable to swallow food or even saliva, he had to carry a bag to spit out sputum.
Dr Patankar said the presence of a 'persistent tracheoesophageal fistula' -- an abnormal connection between the food pipe and the windpipe -- was confirmed, which explained his deteriorating health. "A feeding tube was placed in his small intestine to help improve his nutrition. Over the next six months, his health gradually stabilised, and once his nutrition improved, he was scheduled for a surgery in March 2025," the doctor said, as mentioned in the statement.
Since the boy was not able to eat anything by mouth, a minor surgery -- feeding jejunostomy -- was performed by placing a feeding tube in his small intestine. This tube, inserted into the middle section of the intestine, allowed him to receive proper nutrition and medications. Gradually his weight increased from 33 kg to 40 kg.
Last month, he underwent a complex, eight-hour surgery to repair the hole in both his windpipe (trachea) and food pipe (esophagus). "Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is a critical condition where an abnormal connection between the two esophagus causes food, water, and even saliva to leak into the trachea and lungs, leading to severe complications. The surgical team meticulously closed the openings in both the trachea and esophagus. A large neck muscle called the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) was carefully detached and placed between the food pipe and windpipe. This muscle, with its own blood supply, acted as a protective barrier to prevent future infections. All major blood vessels in the neck were preserved, making it a highly-intricate operation," said Dr Patankar.
The surgery was uneventful; it lasted eight hours. The boy was kept on ventilator support for five days. He has been discharged now and is able to swallow food orally. According to doctors, he will start gaining weight in the coming months. The feeding tube in his intestine will also be removed.