104-year-old Patient Successfully Operated for Hernia at Lords Hospital

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
A 104-year-old patient suffering from ‘obstructive inguinal hernia’, who was turned away from various hospitals owing to his old age and frail health, was successfully operated upon at the Lords Hospital here, giving him a new lease of life.

By conducting the delicate operation, Dr KP Haridas, Chairman and Chief Surgeon of Lords Hospital, who led the surgical team, scripted history for the hospital by putting under the scalpel its oldest patient to date.

“The laparoscopy done on Padmanabhan Vaidhyar, himself an Ayurvedic physician, was a life-changing one and he can now live for many more years. He has now got rid of the ailment that had troubled him for the past 25 years,” the veteran surgeon said.

“In his case we were not treating his age; we were just dealing with the disease. Never give up on someone because of his age,” here marked. The incredible surgical feat was accomplished last week at the leading super specialty hospital.

Normally an inguinal hernia occurs when tissue, such as part of the intestine, protrudes through a weak spot in the abdominal muscles. The resulting bulge can be painful, especially when one coughs, bends over or lifts a heavy object.

An inguinal hernia is not necessarily dangerous, but it does not improve on its own and can lead to life-threatening complications if the patient has other issues. In the case of centenarian Vaidhyar, the patient was admitted with a critical case of hernia and associated complications such as vomiting and malnutrition. In fact, the obstruction was triggering continual bouts of vomiting, severely impacting his health.

“It was a do or die scenario. An operation was required for him to continue living beyond 104 years even though the surgery was fraught with risks,” said the renowned surgeon.

“Here the patient needed a surgery immediately. Although he had this condition for the last 25 years, all the surgeons he consulted dared not touch him because of his old age. We proved them all wrong,” pointed out an exultant Dr Haridas.

P Unnikrishnan, Vaidyar’s son and an NRI from Qatar, had taken his father to a few popular surgeons who had outrightly refused to operate upon him even 10 years ago when he was 94.

“In the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic where the selfless service of doctors and nurses to save humanity has become a shining light, this is nothing short of a miracle that an accomplished surgeon agreed to treat my father,” he said.

“The surgery took place on December 30, and the next day my father had regained full consciousness. Today he is getting discharged,” Unnikrishnan pointed out.