Delhi-NCR doctors save woman after tractor accident causes severe internal injuries

In a rare and life-threatening trauma case, doctors at Sarvodaya Hospital, Sector 8, Faridabad, have successfully saved the life of a 21-year-old woman who suffered severe internal injuries after her clothes became entangled in the wheel of a tractor and she was dragged.

The woman, a resident of Chiksoli village in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura district, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition with hemorrhagic shock, dangerously low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, severe abdominal pain, breathing difficulty and massive blood loss.

The accident had caused multiple serious injuries, including a ruptured intestine, a torn diaphragm and extensive damage to her right leg. The tear in the diaphragm had forced her stomach and colon to shift into her chest, further compromising her condition.

Doctors said she was also suffering from uncontrolled bleeding from her right leg due to severe skin and tissue damage. Given the extent of her injuries, the trauma team immediately shifted her to the operation theatre, warning that any delay could have led to irreversible shock, multiple organ failure and death.

A multidisciplinary trauma team led by Dr Arjun Goel, Senior Consultant and Head, General and Minimally Invasive Surgery, performed nearly three hours of complex emergency surgery to repair the injuries.

During the procedure, doctors repaired the torn diaphragm and moved the stomach and colon back into the abdomen. They also removed the damaged portion of the small intestine and reconnected the healthy sections. A chest tube was inserted to drain fluid and air from the chest.

The severely injured right leg was also treated during the surgery. Doctors removed damaged tissue and used vacuum-assisted therapy to support wound healing and recovery.

“Recognising the severity of her condition, we immediately shifted her to the operation theatre. Any delay in surgical intervention could have resulted in irreversible shock, multiple organ failure and death,” said Dr Goel.

He said the surgery involved addressing several life-threatening injuries simultaneously, including repairing the diaphragm, restoring the position of the abdominal organs and treating the damaged intestine and leg.

The patient is now recovering under medical supervision, according to the hospital.

The case highlights the challenges involved in managing severe polytrauma, where multiple organs and body systems can be affected at the same time and require immediate surgical intervention.