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4-year-old S Dhanyashri went to comatose after a man accidentally fell from his second floor balcony and landed on her as she was passing by.
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The girl was immediately rushed to Apollo Hospital in Tondiarpet from where she was further transferred to Apollo Children’s Hospital in Greams Road, Chennai.
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Apart from a severe head injury, she also suffered from multiple fractures in her spine and legs.
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According to Dr. Suchitra Ranjit, senior consultant at the pediatric ICU, although she later regained consciousness she was under constant surveillance with the help of a pressure monitor fitted within her brain.
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Her brain swelled so much so that it gradually extended into the brainstem through which the basic functions of the body, like breathing and blood circulation, are controlled unresolving which can also lead to brain death.
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As the skull posed to be restrictive against the continuous swelling of the brain, it started to exert high brain pressure which is also known as elevated intracrannial pressure (ICP).
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While the normal ICP is less than 15mmHg, the child’s had shot up to 36mmHg and maintained a steady increase.
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In a three hour long surgery of decompressed craniectomy, therefore, a portion of the skull of a diameter of 8 cm was removed from her skull to relieve the pressure.
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According Dr. Shankar, the bone is now preserved in the bone bank of the hospital under -21 degrees temperature and will be placed back to her skull once the swelling subsides.
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For the next 2 months Dhanyashri has to wear a special medical cap to protect her scalp.
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Apprehensive that his daughter would lose her memory, for Sridharan, half the battle was won when her daughter came to her senses post surgery and called him ‘appa’ smiling.
