Berhampur: A 12-year-old tribal boy’s courage, presence of mind and instinct for survival helped him overcome a life-threatening abdominal injury, leaving his small intestine protruding outside, following a road accident recently.The Class V student from a remote village in Ganjam district’s Dharakote block saved his life by applying presence of mind and demonstrating extraordinary courage. He was cycling to school through a hilly area when he fell on Monday. His abdomen struck a sharp object by the roadside, causing a deep wound, through which a portion of his small intestine even protruded outside.Despite severe pain and the frightening nature of the injury, he did not panic, carefully wrapped the exposed intestine with his school uniform and walked about 2km alone to reach home.His parents, however, panicked after seeing the condition of the boy. They took him to a nearby hospital at Badagada with the help of relatives on a motorcycle, said a relative. From there, he was referred to MKCG Medical College and Hospital here on the same day.Led by Dr Manas Ranjan Dash, associate professor and head of the department of paediatric surgery, a team of doctors took over two hours to conduct an emergency surgery. “During the operation, we found the small intestine had protruded through the lower abdominal wound. Fortunately, the intestine and other vital organs were healthy and had not suffered major damage,” he said.The exposed intestine was carefully placed in the abdominal cavity, wound was thoroughly managed, and the abdominal wall was closed, he said.The boy is now in good condition and has started to eat solid food. He will be discharged in the next two to three days, said Dr Dash. “It was not only the operation that saved the child. His courage, presence of mind and instinct for survival played a crucial role,” he said, adding his story demonstrates the extraordinary resilience and survival instinct that a child can display in a life-threatening situation.Despite his pain, he remained calm, protected his exposed intestine and managed to reach his home by walking a long distance alone, which left doctors and everyone involved in his treatment deeply impressed, said Dr Jagdeep Nayak, assistant professor, anaesthesia, who was on the surgery team.
