MELODY MUPETA Kitwe CHINSALI General Hospital has successfully performed its first-ever brain surgery, saving the life of a 40-year-old man who sustained severe head injuries after being struck with a log. The landmark emergency procedure, known as a craniotomy, was conducted…

MELODY MUPETA

Kitwe

CHINSALI General Hospital has successfully performed its first-ever brain surgery, saving the life of a 40-year-old man who sustained severe head injuries after being struck with a log.

The landmark emergency procedure, known as a craniotomy, was conducted by a multidisciplinary team comprising four doctors, a medical licentiate, an anaesthetist and three theatre nurses.

According to a statement from the Muchinga Province administration, the patient was admitted to Chinsali General Hospital following the incident.

A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed extensive blood clots between the skull and the outer covering of the brain, placing severe pressure on the brain.

Acting head of clinical care Dawin Sichimba said the patient had also suffered a mild stroke, right-sided paralysis and was unable to speak.

He said the scan showed that the blood clot had caused the brain to shift to the right, requiring urgent surgical intervention.

Dr Sichimba said the patient was initially scheduled for referral to the University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka for specialised neurosurgical treatment.

However, the referral was halted after neurosurgeon Jones Njobvu from Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka reviewed the CT scan and offered to perform the emergency operation at Chinsali General Hospital.

The surgery was carried out using a new set of specialised instruments recently acquired by the hospital for such procedures.

Dr Sichimba said the operation lasted approximately two hours and 30 minutes and involved temporarily removing a small section of the skull to allow access to the affected area and evacuate the blood clot.

Following the operation, the patient was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for close monitoring. https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home