Rod out of skull, survivor could be normal in 10 days

New Delhi (IANS) - A 30-year-old clerk from Mathura whose skull was pierced by a 10-inch-rod in a road accident should be back to normal in 10 days, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here said Tuesday.

Bhuvaneshwar is still in the intensive care unit and is being monitored for any infection or bleeding, M.C. Misra, chief of the AIIMS trauma centre where he was operated upon for 12 hours and survived, told IANS.

The victim was riding back home on his motorcycle when he was hit from behind by a vehicle Sep 9 night and fell face down on an iron bar on the roadside. He was brought to AIIMS.

"As his face and skull are damaged, we are finding it difficult to feed him, especially solid food. We are planning to make an incision to feed him properly. Till then, he's being fed intravenously (feeding liquid substances directly into a vein)," said Misra.

As the accident also damaged his spine, doctors will be installing a plate in his spinal cord. "We have informed his father about this and it will cost around Rs.85,000," added Misra.

Bhuvaneshwar works as a clerk at the regional transport office in Mathura and belongs to a lower middle class family from Mathura, said Misra. Cost of treatment so far is anywhere between Rs.3-5 lakh, including the plate, but the state-run AIIMS has not charged anything yet.

"We have not decided about the payments yet, we want the patient to recover first," said Misra.

When the accident occurred, Bhuvaneshwar was flung into the air before landing face first on the bar, which penetrated the middle of his skull between the two eyes.

However, his eyes have not been damaged and he is already walking around, Misra said.