PATIALA: Park Hospital, Patiala successfully saved the life of Ex-Punjab Police IG Amar Singh Chahal who was brought to the emergency department with a self-inflicted gunshot injury to the chest. The patient had a bullet entry wound on the left side of the chest and an exit wound on the back, leading to massive blood loss of approximately 1.5 litres.
His life was saved by a multidisciplinary medical team led by CTVS Surgeon Dr. Sidharth Garg, with critical anaesthesia management by Dr. Arjun Pratap Joshi and surgical support from Dr. Gurjot Singh. The complex 3–4 hours emergency surgery involved repair of the torn lung and stabilisation of chest wall fractures.
Prompt resuscitation and immediate emergency care further contributed to the successful outcome. On arrival, the patient was in a critical condition and was immediately shifted to the ICU, where life-saving resuscitation and intubation were carried out. An Intercostal Drain (ICD) was urgently inserted by General Surgeon Dr. Gurjot Singh. A diagnostic CT scan was conducted to assess the extent of injuries, following which the patient was taken for emergency surgery.
During surgery, doctors found multiple rib fractures and a large tear in the left lung. The bullet had passed dangerously close to the heart and major blood vessels, making the procedure extremely high-risk. The surgery was further complicated by extensive lung damage and severe blood loss. Post-operatively, the patient was kept on ventilator support in the CTVS ICU for two days, after which he was successfully extubated.