Pune: A 21-month-old baby girl who suffered serious head injuries after a fall from her second-floor home was discharged from hospital this week, following life-saving surgery by a team of doctors in Pune. Anushree Shirsat was rushed to a hospital in Kharadi on June 9 with severe head trauma, a femur injury and in an unconscious state. The injuries had also triggered a range of other issues in her, including seizures and drowsiness.
The doctors at Manipal Hospital, suspecting a life-threatening brain injury, quickly put her through a CT scan which revealed left-sided subdural haemorrhage (SDH) and signs of brain herniation. Emergency procedures began right away to lower intracranial pressure (ICP) in her skull and stabilise her condition. They then performed a craniectomy (brain surgery) to relieve the pressure, and part of Anushree’s skull was temporarily removed to allow her brain to enlarge safely, without increasing intracranial pressure.
“We estimate that she fell from a height of at least 20 feet. The force of the impact caused brain herniation and subdural haemorrhage on the left side of the brain,” said Dr Parth Dalal, the consultant pediatric intensivist at Manipal Hospital. He added: “In such serious cases, there’s pressure from within the skull that pushes against the brain's tissues.
This can lead to paralysis, reduced breathing and even death. During the craniectomy, we removed a large blood clot to ease the intracranial pressure.” Dr Dalal said despi.