Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Dec 10: The Department of Surgery at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, in coordination with other related departments, has performed a rare laparoscopic surgery involving the stomach and lungs to address a spontaneous hernia in the diaphragm.
The uniqueness of the procedure, medically described as a combined laparoscopic-thoracoscopic procedure for an idiopathic incarcerated diaphragmatic hernia, along with its seamless execution, has earned the GMC Srinagar recognition at the international level.
The surgery, performed on a women patient, has now been selected for video presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES)-one of the largest societies of surgeons in the world-scheduled to be held in the USA in April of next year.
According to the doctors involved, the patient sought medical attention nearly three months ago in critical condition, on the verge of death.
They consider the successful execution of the surgery as a landmark achievement in the healthcare history of the medical college, terming it tricky as well as challenging.
Dr. Iqbal Saleem, Head of the Department of Surgery at GMC Srinagar, explained that the patient had a hole in the diaphragm, causing the entire stomach to move into the chest cavity, coupled with perforation, leading to complications.
“This resulted in the collapse of one lung, with the patient’s oxygen saturation dropping to just 68 percent,” he said.
During the laparoscopic surgery, he said that the stomach was carefully returned to the abdomen, and the perforations were sealed.
“The chest cavity was cleared, and the hole in the diaphragm was corrected. Anesthesia was administered to one side of the lung and then the other, a technically challenging task that was successfully managed by a dedicated anesthesia team,” he said.
Dr. Saleem emphasized that under normal circumstances, the patient would have required around 60 stitches: 30 in the chest and 30 in the abdomen, with a difficult postoperative period. However, he said, the laparoscopic procedure allowed for immediate improvements.
He highlighted that on the operation table, one side of the lung began expanding, and the oxygen saturation, initially at 68 percent, quickly rose to 92 percent. “This rapid recovery would not have been possible with conventional surgery,” he said.
Despite the rarity and complexity of the surgery, the patient was discharged on the fifth day without any postoperative complications.
Later, recognizing the exceptional nature of the case, the doctors submitted a video of the surgery to the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) for review.
Impressed with the procedure, SAGES invited the medical team to present their work at a podium presentation in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, thus bringing international recognition to the medical college.
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