Doctors of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) treated a 45-year-old man who suffered a severe airway injury caused by a knife wound to the neck.
The man was referred to the RGGGH from the Government Hospital in Tambaram for the self-inflicted injury. A team of doctors from the ENT Department examined the patient and found that the windpipe had torn, causing a severe airway injury. Air had leaked into the surrounding tissues, leading to swelling in the neck, which progressed and increased in size with time. A CT scan revealed injuries to the trachea (windpipe) and oesophagus (food pipe), according to a press release.
He was shifted to the emergency operation theatre. However, general anaesthesia could not be administered through intubation due to bleeding from the wound. So, the ENT surgeons made a direct opening in the windpipe, and inserted a tube (tracheostomy) to secure the airway. General anaesthesia was administered through this access.
The surgeons repaired the injuries to the windpipe. Doctors from Surgical Gastroenterology and Vascular Surgery Departments examined the food pipe and neck blood vessels, and confirmed that there was no major damage.
The patient has now started taking nutrition through a nasogastric tube, and treatment is in progress to remove the tracheostomy tube and help him breathe on his own, according to the release.
The ENT team was led by F. Anthony Irudhayarajan, professor and Head of Department, M. Bharathi Mohan, Professor; and R. Vignesh Raj, Assistant Professor.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).
Published – November 22, 2025 01:00 am IST
