Kauvery Hospital Restores Function of Youth’s Only Functioning Kidney, Severely Injured in Road Accident

• The left kidney had both active bleeding and urine leakage. Incidentally, his right kidney was found to be contracted, likely for years
• The hospital performed emergency renal artery embolisation to stop the bleeding and placed a ureteral stent to prevent urine leakage

Salem, June 09, 2025

Kauvery Hospital expertly performed emergency procedures to save the function of a 24-year-old man’s left kidney, which was severely damaged with internal bleeding and urine leakage following a road accident.

Incidentally, his right kidney was found to be contracted and almost non-functional, making preservation of the left kidney critical to avoid lifelong dialysis. The hospital performed emergency renal artery embolization to stop the bleeding and placed a ureteral stent to prevent urine leakage. The young man was eventually discharged after spending several days in the ICU.

The medical team that performed the procedures and led the post-operative care comprised: Dr. Abirami, Nephrologist; Dr. Ramesh Ethirajan, Urologist; Dr. Santosh Kumar, Interventional Radiologist; and the ICU team.

In her comments, Dr. Abirami said, “The youth was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition, in shock due to internal bleeding in his abdomen. On evaluation, we found that he had sustained severe injuries to his left kidney and spleen. The left kidney had both active bleeding and urine leakage. Incidentally, his right kidney was found to be contracted—likely for years—and had remained undiagnosed. The injury to the left kidney was classified as Grade 5, the most severe level of kidney trauma, with active bleeding from the mid-pole and urine leakage. Typically, such injuries require surgical removal of the kidney. However, since his right kidney was almost non-functional, we focused on salvaging the left kidney to avoid the need for lifelong dialysis. Fortunately, the procedures, including the one to treat his spleen, were successful. Though his recovery was prolonged, requiring several days in the ICU and temporary dialysis, he was eventually discharged in stable condition, off dialysis, and with a functioning kidney.”