Expressnews
Chennai, 12th January 2024: Mr Meeran Moideen, aged 49, a local shop owner in Pallavaram was rushed to the emergency department at Rela Institute, Chromepet on a Sunday afternoon as he complained of severe abdominal pain and vomiting large amounts of blood. This resulted in the patient having severe weakness, low BP, and losing consciousness. A CT Scan showed his esophagus (food pipe near the stomach) was ruptured leading to continuous bleeding while his chest cavity was getting filled with blood and food from the stomach.
Dr Piyush Bawane, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Dr R Ravi, Group Director – Medical Gastroenterology & Interventional Endoscopy, Rela Hospital were called upon and diagnosed with “Boerhaave Syndrome”, the patient underwent an endoscopic intervention to stop the bleeding and close the perforation of the esophagus. This kind of intervention is rare in this part of the World.
“With time becoming very critical to save the patient we had to make a correct diagnosis. Our team of experts from the Emergency Department and ICU team helped us. The endoscopic surgery was a success as we closed the perforated esophagus with the help of a special metal clip. That very night the patient was stabilized and got discharged on the 6th day,” said Dr Piyush Bawane, Consultant Gastroenterologist, at Rela Hospital.
Incidentally, traditional open surgery can last up to 4 hours and a patient takes nearly 6 months to recover.
“Boerhaave Syndrome is a very rare condition and this happens due to forceful vomiting. It affects 2 out of 10,00,000 people and is considered one of the most lethal gastrointestinal emergencies worldwide. Nearly 80 percent of the patients die even after on-time and proper medical interventions. If for any reason medical intervention is slightly delayed, the patient is sure to die,” he added.
