DTMT Network

Doctors at Zen Multispeciality Hospital, Mumbai have managed to save the life of a 25-year-old medical student, who had Pancreatic Necrosis, by timely performing Pancreatic necrosectomy, a complex surgical intervention.

According to the hospital, Harshal Shinde, a medical student in Russia was leading a normal life until he encountered severe unbearable abdominal pain going around the back, hyperacidity, and vomiting in August 2021.

The pain was so intense that it affected his ability to do the daily chores. The patient couldn’t sit, stand, walk or even eat.  To his dismay, the symptoms kept on worsening, his friends admitted him to a hospital.

As per the diagnosis, the patient had gastrointestinal perforation or a ruptured bowel that is an acute abdominal surgical condition wherein there is a hole in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract causing stomach pain and vomiting.

After giving him antibiotics, and performed a laparotomy, and found a problem with the stomach. Even after medication, surgery, his problem didn’t resolve, and the patient was advised by his university teachers and friends to take treatment in India.

The patient returned to his hometown Nashik, Maharashtra from Russia with tubes in the stomach and in a wheelchair. On performing a CT scan, it was revealed that the patient suffered from Pancreatic Necrosis and was referred to Dr Roy Patankar 3 weeks back who gave him a new lease of life.

Dr Roy Patankar, Director and   Gastroenterologist, Zen Multispeciality Hospital, said, “On arrival in an emergency, the patient has symptoms like intense abdominal pain involving the back, fever, vomiting, and wasn’t able to eat and was nil by mouth. On arrival we performed a CT scan of Abdomen and pelvis which confirmed that he had pancreatitis with pus collected in the abdomen affecting the other organs.”

“We inserted three tubes in the abdomen at various parts where pus was seen in scan, gradually pus was drained out though these tubes but to cure himself had to perform major pancreatic surgery as his pancreas were becoming necrotic or dead due to inflammation and injury,” he explained

“He was treated with antibiotics based on culture received from pus. He was not able to take anything through mouth, hence we inserted a tube through nose into stomach for feeding to optimise his condition as he was very weak and could not have sustained this major surgery. Later, his repeat CT scan revealed that there is pus in the pancreas and the patient needed surgery,” said Dr Patankar.

 Dr Patankar added, “The patient was scheduled to undergo Pancreatic necrosectomy which is a complex procedure for the management of necrotizing pancreatitis. Here, we drain all pus pockets and remove dead parts of pancreas taking adequate precautions to avoid any major bleeding as there are many major blood vessels and viral structures surrounding pancreas.”

“We place tubes in drained pockets to make sure nothing collects inside and to pick early signs of bleeding, if any,” he said.

 Not treating him at the right time could have turned the infection into sepsis and led to damage to all major organs including liver, kidney, heart, brain and lung.

Sepsis can lead to shock, reduces blood flow to the major organs causing temporary or permanent damage and even death. Now the patient is discharged and  He is suggested to avoid a high-fat diet, and adopt a healthy lifestyle to keep diabetes at bay in the future.