A 45-year-old man from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Shailender Singh, has successfully undergone surgery at Max Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi to remove a bullet that had been lodged dangerously close to his heart for 16 years. Singh was shot in 2008 but had lived symptom-free until recently when he began experiencing severe chest pain and coughing up blood.
According to a statement from the hospital, Singh had sought advice from various doctors over the years. However, due to the bullet’s position near vital organs like his heart and lungs, specialists in Kanpur advised against surgery. He was treated non-surgically and remained symptom-free for most of the time. However, his condition worsened over the past year when he developed persistent left-sided chest pain and hemoptysis (coughing up blood), which progressively became more severe.
Dr. Shaiwal Khandelwal, Associate Director of Thoracic Surgery at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, led the surgical team that removed both the bullet and a damaged section of Singh’s lung. Dr. Khandelwal explained that Singh had sought a second opinion after his initial consultation in Delhi. However, soon after returning to Kanpur, his condition deteriorated, and he began coughing up large amounts of blood. In distress, Singh made an urgent call and was quickly admitted to the hospital.
"His CT scan revealed that the bullet had caused a collapse and consolidation of the left lung. A bronchoscopy further showed that the bullet was pressing against the airway, leading to active bleeding," Dr. Khandelwal explained. The decision was made to perform emergency surgery to remove the bullet and the damaged upper lobe of the lung. Singh’s condition improved significantly following the surgery.
Dr. Khandelwal also highlighted that bullets lodged in critical areas are often left untreated if they don't cause symptoms. However, in rare cases, these bullets can lead to complications by migrating or triggering foreign body reactions, as occurred in Singh's case. Emergency surgery is sometimes necessary to save the patient’s life, and, in extreme cases, the entire lung may need to be removed. Fortunately, in Singh’s case, only the damaged portion was excised.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Ankur Deka/MSM)