KOCHI: Post-Covid complications are on a rise in the state; recently doctors at the Aster Medcity here have managed to save the life of a 38-year-old patient who was admitted with a massive bowel gangrene, multiple surgeries and sepsis.
Patient Farooq V was tested positive for Covid in mid-June, and was admitted to a government hospital with severe abdominal pain and weakness. “Our patient had bowel gangrene, and to save his life a good proportion of the small intestine was removed surgically at the government hospital. As the ends of bowels were not healthy for re-joining together the surgeons there had brought the ends of the bowel as a stoma. However, as it was difficult to maintain him with high output stoma, an early reversal was performed. Though the ends of the intestine were joined, he had leakage from the bowel anastomosis and he became septic, and hence was referred to our hospital,” Dr Prakash K, senior consultant gastro surgery, Aster Medcity, said.
According to the doctors, post-Covid blockage of blood vessels to the intestine and massive bowel gangrene is a fatal, but less known complication with a very high mortality rate. During surgery, if a patient has a non-viable bowel for a considerable length, the only option is to remove the dead intestine and it might result in a shortage of length of available healthy intestine for long term survival. A medical team from anaesthesia and critical care headed by Dr Suresh G Nair first succeeded in stabilizing the patient within six days. The next challenge was the leaking intestines, respiratory distress and difficulty sustaining him with nutritional support
“The challenges during the surgery to correct his intestinal fistula were multi-fold. Dense adhesions due to sepsis, a short length of intestine leaving no room for additional resection of bowel, suboptimal blood supply to the bowel due to previous blood clots. However, we could identify the fistula, repair it and join the bowel together without further length loss,” Dr Prakash said.
