Kolkata doctors, who are a part of the neurosurgery team at Dhakuria recently successfully performed an exceptionally rare and life-saving operation on 56-year-old woman, who arrived at the hospital after a severe strangulation injury. It had caused multiple rib fractures and facial fractures along with a dangerous cervical spine injury known as a Type 2 odontoid fracture (a break in the upper part of the neck) that can instantly damage the spinal cord and is commonly referred to as a Hangman’s fracture.

This type of injury has an extremely high death rate, with more than 6 per cent of patients not surviving, and many others suffering sudden paralysis or instant cardiac arrest due to spinal cord compression. 

Despite the seriousness of the situation, realising the urgency, the team led by Dr Nirup Datta, consultant – Neurosurgery and Dr Prakhar Gyanesh, consultant – Anaesthesiology, Manipal Hospital, Dhakuria decided that emergency stabilisation surgery offered the only real chance of saving the patient’s life and preventing paralysis.