Neck artery bursts, life saved; docs defy 50% survival odds

Raipur: In a rare medical feat, surgeons at the Department of Heart, Chest, and Vascular Surgery at state-run Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital saved a 40-year-old man after a main artery in his neck ruptured spontaneously. Medical journals have recorded only 10 such cases of Spontaneous Carotid Artery Rupture (SCAR) globally to date, making this the first successful treatment of its kind in Chhattisgarh, according to the hospital authorities.The patient, a local shopkeeper, was brushing his teeth at home when he experienced sudden, severe pain in his neck followed by rapid swelling. He lost consciousness shortly after and was rushed to the emergency department of the hospital.A CT angiography revealed that the patient's right carotid artery had ruptured, forming a balloon-like structure known as a carotid artery pseudoaneurysm. The carotid artery is a primary blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the brain.Dr Krishnakant Sahu, Head of the Department of Heart, Chest, and Vascular Surgery, led the operation. "The surgery carried a high risk, with a success rate of only 50 to 60%. Due to the heavy accumulation of blood in the neck, identifying the artery was difficult. Any minor error could have led to a stroke, brain death, or immediate fatality," Dr Sahu said.The surgical team used a bovine pericardium patch to repair the ruptured artery during the complex procedure. The surgery was successful, and the patient did not suffer any neurological damage or paralysis. He is currently in stable condition.Medical experts noted that carotid artery ruptures usually occur due to trauma, infections, tumours, or pre-existing tissue disorders. However, this patient had no such history, making the spontaneous rupture extremely rare.The surgical team also included cardiac anaesthetists Dr Sankalp Diwan and Dr Balswaroop Sahu; and junior doctors Dr Ayushi, Dr Anshika, Dr Khyati, Dr Akanksha Sahu, Dr Sanjay, and Dr Om Prakash. Nursing and technical staff, including Rajendra, Narendra, Chowa, Dushyant, and Bhupendra, assisted in the procedure.