Crushed face, dislocated jaws and open skull: This is how Delhi doctors restored accident victim’s face

It is an old proverb that ‘doctors are personification of Gods on earth’ and skilled surgeons at Delhi’s Sir Gangaram Hospital have proved it right. They gave a new life to a 20-year-old young man who met with a horrific road mishap while driving a motorcycle.

Sameer, a resident of Delhi, came to the hospital’s Department of Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery with a crushed face, dislocated jaws, facial fractures, an open skull, a tongue cut into two pieces, and torn lips. He was in a very bad condition.

When doctors took the case and examined Sameer’s injuries, they found that he had suffered severe head and maxi-facial injuries.

“There were around 16 major facial bones and skull fractures with dislocation of temporomandibular joint of the jaw,” said Dr Bheem Singh Nanda, Senior Consultant, Department of Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery.

“It was a very challenging and complicated case. It required a lot of pre-operative planning to give good functional and aesthetic results.” Dr Nanda added.

After a detailed study of the 20-year-old patient’s injuries, a team of 10 doctors consisting of plastic and cosmetic surgery and neurosurgeons was formed. A paramedical staff also assisted the team during the eight-hour-long complicated surgery. The patient was immediately resuscitated and his airway was rescued as a life-saving measure.

After stabilization Sameer, doctors immediately conducted multiple scans to diagnose the extent of his injuries.

“Our team accessed the head and skull injuries and medicines were started accordingly. The patient had severe soft tissue injuries on the face and multiple fractures to the extent that the facial bones were crushed and converted to small pieces,” said Dr Shrey Jain, Consultant, Department of Neurosurgery, a part of the team.

According to the surgeons, Sameer was taken in for the surgery and most of the fractures were exposed through an internal approach without giving any extra cut on the facial skin to decrease scarring. Then surgeons reduced the 20-year-old’s fractures and joints to the anatomical positions.

“After this systematically one by one all fractures were fixed using pure titanium mini plates and screws. Almost six plates and two dozen screws were used in the process. Then his tongue and all the other soft tissue injuries including lower and upper lip, nose and eyelids were repaired,” said Dr Jain.

Sammer's eight-hour, difficult surgery was a success, and he was given his face back. However, healing takes time and patience. Doctors said that 20-year-old will be discharged soon.

“The patient is stable now with a good functional and aesthetic outcome. The patient smiled and talked for the first time after the surgery and is able to take a liquid diet orally. He will be discharged soon,” said a hospital official.

The surgery also breathed life into Sameer's parents who were completely broken after seeing his plight after the accident.

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