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Bullet in Heart: NICVD Saves 12-Year-Old
6 Sep
Summary
- A 12-year-old boy survived a rare surgery to remove a bullet from his heart.
- The child was critically injured in an accidental gunshot in Khuzdar, Balochistan.
- Multiple hospitals declined treatment before NICVD successfully operated.
In a remarkable medical feat, a team of experts at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi successfully operated on a 12-year-old boy from Khuzdar, Balochistan. The child arrived in critical condition, having suffered an accidental gunshot wound that lodged a bullet inside his heart.
Initial attempts to treat the boy at local hospitals and later in Karachi were unsuccessful, as facilities were unable to manage the life-threatening injury requiring immediate, specialized cardiac intervention. The NICVD paediatric emergency department successfully assessed and treated the child.
A multi-disciplinary team, led by Professor Sohail Khan Bangash, head of paediatric cardiac surgery at NICVD, performed a challenging two-hour operation. They successfully removed the bullet and repaired the damaged heart. The child underwent an echocardiography, confirming the bullet's location, before the surgery.
The boy is now recovering well in the critical care unit. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah lauded the NICVD doctors for their rare and complicated surgery, expressing pride in Sindh's healthcare infrastructure and expertise. He reaffirmed the provincial government's commitment to providing free, high-quality healthcare services.
