In an extraordinary display of quick thinking and medical ingenuity, three doctors in Kerala performed a life-saving roadside procedure on a critically injured bike accident victim using improvised tools, including a shaving razor and a plastic straw. The incident, which occurred on Sunday night in Udayamperoor, Ernakulam rural district, has drawn widespread praise, including from the state's Governor.
A Desperate Roadside Rescue Mission
The scene unfolded after a collision between two motorcycles left three individuals injured. Among the first to arrive were Dr B Manoop, a cardiac surgeon from the Government Medical College in Kottayam, and Dr Thomas Peter and his wife Dr Didiya, both from the critical care department of Indira Gandhi Cooperative Hospital. The doctors, who were returning from their duties, immediately stopped to help.
One victim, identified as Linu, was in critical condition. He was gasping for breath and on the verge of respiratory arrest because his upper airway was blocked with blood. Dr Manoop classified him as a "red category" patient, indicating the highest level of urgency. With no immediate healthcare facility available and conventional methods like a jaw thrust manoeuvre failing, the doctors faced a dire choice.
Improvised Tools Under Phone Lights
Left with no other option to save a life, Dr Manoop and Dr Didiya decided to perform an emergency cricothyrotomy—a procedure to create an opening in the neck to secure an airway, typically done in a sterile operating theatre. They sent someone to fetch a shaving razor from a nearby shop. Using the mobile phone flashlights of bystanders for illumination, they located the crucial membrane in Linu's neck.
After making an incision with the razor, they needed a tube to maintain the airway. Initially, they had only a paper straw, but the police at the scene managed to procure a more sturdy plastic straw, which was then inserted. "It was a desperate attempt to save a critically injured life," Dr Manoop later recalled. The cooperative crowd, whom the doctors had requested not to take photos or videos, assisted in creating a conducive environment for the impromptu surgery.
Praise and a Tragic Outcome
Following the procedure, the patient was shifted to a hospital via ambulance. Despite the doctors' valiant and innovative efforts, Linu succumbed to his injuries two days later, on Tuesday.
The doctors' rare humanitarian act did not go unnoticed. Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar led the accolades, personally speaking to the medical professionals to laud their efforts. A Raj Bhavan release stated that such a gesture "embodies the highest ethics of the medical profession and is to be emulated by all." The Governor has also invited the doctors to the Lok Bhavan.
This incident highlights the immense pressure and challenges medical professionals can face outside clinical settings, where their skill and determination to preserve life must sometimes transcend the lack of proper equipment.
