Doctors of a private hospital here in the capital saved the life of an eight-year-old schoolboy of Dhanbad, who had suffered a massive stroke earlier this month.
Piyush Mandal, a Class I student of Dhanbad’s Crescent International School, had a stroke on May 11, said his father Anant Kumar Mandal, who works at a small plant.
Piyush was brought to Bhagwan Mahavir Medica Superspecialty Hospital in Ranchi on May 12. He was gasping and had no sensation on the left side of his body.
Treated by a team of Medica’s neurosurgeons and neurophysicians, Piyush was discharged on Saturday, May 23.
Dr Deepak Chandra Prakash, who along with Dr Sanjay Kumar, was at the forefront of the child’s treatment, told The Telegraph that Piyush had “suffered a massive stroke”. “His left arm and leg had become immobile. Preliminary examination revealed that he was strongly hypertensive. The CT scan showed six of his cerebral arteries were blocked,” Dr Prakash said.
The doctor said that they had put the patient on life support. “After four days of anti-hypertensive and anti-edema medication, the patient’s blood circulation became normal, and after medication some power returned to his left leg and hand,” he added.
Asked when the boy will regain his full strength, the doctor said: “We have called him after 15 days.”
As with most stroke patients, the road ahead is likely to be a long one, with medication and physiotherapy.
The boy’s father expressed his gratitude to doctors.
“I still can’t understand what happened,” he said. “My little boy was playing when he had the stroke on May 11 around 3pm. We rushed him to PMCH, Dhanbad, from where doctors referred him to RIMS in Ranchi. Sensing the gravity of the situation, I brought my son to Medica. To fund his treatment, I had to sell a piece of my ancestral land during the lockdown,” said the father. “I am thankful he is better.”