Toy gun bullet removed from boy’s chest in Salem

Salem: In a timely, sensitive surgical procedure, a team of doctors at the Mohan Kumaramangalam government hospital here successfully removed a dart bullet fired from a toy gun from the right chest of a 17-year-old youth Karthik.

The youth from Ponnammapettai Mariamman Kovil area in Salem was playing with his friends with a toy gun when on Saturday (May 18) when a ‘dart bullet’ accidentally fired from the toy gun pierced his right chest, sources said Tuesday.

Karthik was then rushed to the Salem Mohan Kumaramangalam government hospital and admitted to the ICU, emergency ward for “gun shot injury in his right chest and with breathing difficulty,” said the GH dean, Prof K Thirumal Babu.

A CT scan confirmed the presence of a ‘bullet’ in the middle of the right lung, after having caused injury to the right lung, he said. Karthik was then immediately taken to the emergency operation theatre and the bullet was removed by opening his right chest.

The patient has since recovered and was taking normal diet, the dean said. Any gunshot injury to the chest wall should be operated earlier to remove the foreign bodies and also to repair the lung damage and other vital organs to prevent very serious complications, he pointed out.

Later Dr Thirumal Babu congratulated the surgical team led by Dr Pon A Rajarajan, professor and HOD of Cardio Thoracic Surgery department, duty anaesthetist Dr Arunachalam, the PG students, staff nurses and paramedical workers for the successful surgery.