56-Year-Old Road Accident Victim Given Second Life at Fortis Hospital, Anandapur Following Emergency Aortic Surgery and Multi-Specialty Care

56-Year-Old Road Accident Victim Given Second Life at Fortis Hospital, Anandapur Following Emergency Aortic Surgery and Multi-Specialty Care 

Kolkata, July 2025: A 56-year-old man who sustained life-threatening injuries in a severe road traffic accident has been given a new lease on life after undergoing a high-risk emergency aortic surgery followed by orthopedic, neurological, and critical care management at Fortis Hospital, Anandapur. 

The patient was riding a bicycle with two pillion riders when he was hit by a four-wheeler. He was rushed to Fortis Hospital’s Emergency Department in an unconscious state and complete hemorrhagic shock. His blood pressure was barely recordable, hemoglobin had dropped to a dangerously low 4 g/dL, and lactate levels were critically elevated at 18 — all indicators of severe internal bleeding and compromised organ perfusion. Despite the condition, his pupils remained reactive — giving a glimmer of hope. 

Fortis Anandapur’s emergency team immediately began resuscitation, activated trauma protocols, initiated blood transfusions, and conducted rapid imaging to assess internal injuries. Scans revealed multiple, life-threatening injuries: a subdural brain hemorrhage, a Type A aortic intramural hematoma involving the ascending aorta and arch vessel, pericardial blood accumulation, and multiple long bone fractures in the right lower limb (both tibia and fibula). The patient also showed signs of lung contusions and rib fractures, though abdominal organs were spared. Based on CT findings, the case was diagnosed as Acute Aortic Syndrome( type A ruptured intramural hematoma causing cardiac tamponade).  

Despite the dire clinical state, the cardiac surgery team, led by Dr. Sanjoy Sen Gupta, Consultant, Cardiac Surgery, decided to proceed with an emergency surgery — the only possible chance of survival. 

 Dr. Sanjoy Sen Gupt, Consultant, Cardiac surgeon, Fortis Hospital, Anandapur, said, “This was an extremely rare and challenging case. The patient’s hemodynamics were collapsing, and yet the only way to save him was to attempt one of the most complex surgeries in cardiovascular medicine. We performed an emergency replacement of the entire aorta and the involved brachiocephalic arch vessel using the Wheat procedure with antegrade selective cerebral perfusion under hypothermia and lower body circulatory arrest. The surgery began at midnight and lasted nearly 10 hours. Complex extracorporeal hemodynamic management and intraoperative cardiac anaesthesia was at just state of art.” 

 After the aortic repair was complete, the surgical team noticed continued blood loss. A suspected source was identified in the leg, and the Orthopedics team was urgently called. The cardiac OT was converted into an orthopedic setup, and an external fixation procedure was performed to stabilize the fractures. 

 The patient was shifted to the ICU by noon the next day, having already received 8 units of blood. Over the next 24 hours, his hemoglobin and lactate levels began to stabilize. However, his neurological status remained poor, likely due to the earlier subdural bleed and possible diffuse axonal injury. A tracheostomy was performed to aid airway management, and high-grade antibiotics were initiated after a lung infection with Klebsiella pneumoniae was detected. 

By post-operative day six, definitive surgical repair for the leg fractures was undertaken. Over the next two weeks, the patient received continuous care from a multi-specialty team comprising Cardiac Surgery, Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, Neurology, Pulmonology, and Critical Care. Further wound management, including VAC therapy, helped prevent complications from surgical soakage from thigh. 

 Dr. Sen Gupta added, “Saving this patient was possible only because of timely decisions, seamless interdepartmental coordination, and relentless commitment from every clinical team involved. From near-death to walking out on his own feet, his recovery is nothing short of extraordinary.” 

 After 20 days in the ICU, the patient was successfully decannulated and discharged in a stable condition. This case stands as a powerful reminder of the life-saving potential of timely emergency care and multi-disciplinary teamwork at Fortis Hospital, Anandapur. 

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