Kauvery Hospital’s Multi-Speciality Emergency Care Saves Woman with Complex Polytrauma

• The patient sustained multiple injuries, including spinal and hip fractures, along with severe tissue damage in the perineum, thigh, and right foot.
• Treatments included reconstructive and plastic surgeries such as wound debridement, skin grafting, and muscle repair, along with orthopaedic treatment and physiotherapy.

Kauvery Hospital’s emergency and intensive care team, through the coordinated efforts of six major specialities, saved the life of a 45-year-old woman who had been run over by a heavy vehicle. She was admitted in critical condition with multiple injuries, including fractures to her spine and hip bones, as well as extensive skin, muscle, and soft tissue damage in the perineum, thigh and right foot.

On arrival, the patient was resuscitated and all supportive emergency treatments were provided to immediately remove unhealthy skin and muscle, and the foreign bodies such as
stones, glass and sand from the injured areas. Muscle repair was carried out using the available tissue. The patient received multiple blood transfusions, and was treated in the intensive care unit.

She underwent multiple reconstructive and plastic surgery procedures to address areas of skin loss, including wound debridement, drainage of unwanted fluid, skin grafting,
and muscle repair — in addition to orthopaedic interventions (to treat fractures), physiotherapy, psychological support, and other supportive treatments.

To divert faecal matter and prevent wound contamination, colostomy (A surgical procedure that creates an opening in the abdomen to allow stool to exit the body through a pouch, bypassing the rectum and anus) was performed by a surgical gastroenterologist. Her diabetes was carefully managed throughout the treatment process.

Thanks to this comprehensive, multi-disciplinary care, she was eventually able to walk out of
the hospital as a healthy individual. The team of medical experts involved in her treatment included: Dr Ramya, consultant plastic & cosmetic surgeon; Dr Siraj Fathima, consultant obstetrics & gynaecologist; Dr Ranjith, consultant general surgeon; Dr Prabhakar, consultant orthopaedic & joint replacement; Dr Karthikeyan, consultant gastroenterologist, and Dr Noorul Hasan, consultant psychiatrist, along with a dedicated team of anaesthetists and
emergency medicine specialists.

In his comments Dr Lakshmanan, Medical Director, Kauvery Hospital – Tirunelveli, said, “We are happy that we were able to bring this patient back to life through timely, coordinated, and compassionate care. She came to us in a critical condition, with multiple life-threatening injuries affecting her vital organs, bones, and soft tissues. Her journey to recovery involved complex wound debridement surgeries, orthopaedic interventions, plastic
reconstructive procedures, and continuous critical care support. Managing such a wide spectrum of injuries—especially in a diabetic patient—was undoubtedly a challenge that demanded precision and persistence from our team.”

He further added: “This case is a great example of how coordinated efforts across specialities can restore hope in the most difficult situations. Surgeons, orthopedicians,
gastro specialists, plastic surgeons, anaesthetists, physiotherapists, diabetologists, psychiatrists, and emergency physicians worked seamlessly, with a shared focus on saving a life and supporting complete recovery. We are proud of the dedication shown by every team member and are deeply moved to see the patient leave the hospital healthy and full of hope.”