CHENNAI: On her 18th birthday, doctors at the Periyar Nagar government peripheral hospital told footballer Priya R that a surgery to repair torn ligaments in her right knee will help her play the sport better. Little did Priya imagine that she would end up with her leg amputated above the knee because the doctors botched up the surgery.
On Monday, the freshman in physical education at Queen Mary’s College was lying unconscious in the intensive care unit of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) after two follow-up surgeries since the first surgery on November 7.
Her family hopes the bad news has ended. “She underwent a second follow-up surgery this morning. They told us they may remove her remaining limb from the hip joint. That did not happen, but they cleared out some dead tissues from around the amputated area. They are treating her for elevated salt content. Her condition is still critical,” said her brother R Lawrence.
Doctors at the RGGGH said she will remain sedated and on a ventilator. They are keeping close watch on her kidneys and liver. “Her condition is stable now, but she will be intensely monitored by a team of doctors,” said hospital dean Dr Theranirajan E. “The treatment plan is to ensure there is no further necrosis (death of body tissue) or organ failure,” he said.
On October 26, doctors at the Periyar Nagar hospital had told Priya that MRI reports indicated a ligament tear that would require surgical repair. Priya and her brothers met doctors at the RGGGH for a second opinion. “They agreed too. But they suggested we opt for treatment at Periyar Nagar because it was closer home,” said another brother R Vijay. “We decided on the government hospital as we couldn’t afford surgery at a private hospital,” he said. Their father is a security guard at an apartment complex.
Priya, who dreamed of a government job through sports quota, walked into the operation theatre on November 7 at around 11am. By evening she was back in the ward but complained of pain in her legs. Doctors told her that the tight compression bandage would help her. That night she woke up thrice with severe pain but was given medicines that sent her back to sleep, her relatives said. At 9 am the next day, the doctors shifted her to the RGGGH as they suspected a “blood clot”.
After a series of tests and treatments, doctors told the family that the tissues on her right leg were dead, and amputation was the only way to save her life. On November 9, doctors removed her leg.
An inquiry ordered by the state health department showed negligence on the part of doctors at Periyar Nagar. On Monday, health minister Ma Subramanian ordered the transfer of doctors who treated her but refused to reveal their names.
The state will help her rehabilitation with a high-end robotic artificial limb and physiotherapy and also consider her request for a government job, he said.
On Monday, the freshman in physical education at Queen Mary’s College was lying unconscious in the intensive care unit of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) after two follow-up surgeries since the first surgery on November 7.
Her family hopes the bad news has ended. “She underwent a second follow-up surgery this morning. They told us they may remove her remaining limb from the hip joint. That did not happen, but they cleared out some dead tissues from around the amputated area. They are treating her for elevated salt content. Her condition is still critical,” said her brother R Lawrence.
Doctors at the RGGGH said she will remain sedated and on a ventilator. They are keeping close watch on her kidneys and liver. “Her condition is stable now, but she will be intensely monitored by a team of doctors,” said hospital dean Dr Theranirajan E. “The treatment plan is to ensure there is no further necrosis (death of body tissue) or organ failure,” he said.
On October 26, doctors at the Periyar Nagar hospital had told Priya that MRI reports indicated a ligament tear that would require surgical repair. Priya and her brothers met doctors at the RGGGH for a second opinion. “They agreed too. But they suggested we opt for treatment at Periyar Nagar because it was closer home,” said another brother R Vijay. “We decided on the government hospital as we couldn’t afford surgery at a private hospital,” he said. Their father is a security guard at an apartment complex.
Priya, who dreamed of a government job through sports quota, walked into the operation theatre on November 7 at around 11am. By evening she was back in the ward but complained of pain in her legs. Doctors told her that the tight compression bandage would help her. That night she woke up thrice with severe pain but was given medicines that sent her back to sleep, her relatives said. At 9 am the next day, the doctors shifted her to the RGGGH as they suspected a “blood clot”.
After a series of tests and treatments, doctors told the family that the tissues on her right leg were dead, and amputation was the only way to save her life. On November 9, doctors removed her leg.
An inquiry ordered by the state health department showed negligence on the part of doctors at Periyar Nagar. On Monday, health minister Ma Subramanian ordered the transfer of doctors who treated her but refused to reveal their names.
The state will help her rehabilitation with a high-end robotic artificial limb and physiotherapy and also consider her request for a government job, he said.
