3-year-old saved after cooler faucet damages brain

Rashid Hospital doctors have succeeded in saving the life of a three-year-old after a water cooler faucet penetrated his skull and injured his brain.

Pakistani expat Asad Ullah was admitted to Rashid Hospital's ER on April 4 with severe bleeding from his head.

Dr Mohammad Abdul Aziz Sultan Al Olama, Consultant Neurosurgeon at Rashid Hospital, said the young patient came to the hospital in a critical condition after a water cooler at home fell on his head.

"The water cooler's faucet went inside his brain after crossing his skull from the front of his head. After conducting a CT brain scan, we found a big piece of bone, which was around 6x7cm, inside his brain."

Dr Al Olama said the young boy's situation was unstable because of the large amount of blood he lost.

"We had to conduct an urgent operation to stop the bleeding. Along with the anesthesia team, we were able to manage the bleeding but due to the child's critical state, we left the bone in his brain and transferred him directly to the intensive care unit," he said.

Dr Al Olama said that the following day, the child was stable and so another surgery was conducted to remove the piece of bone. The doctors also removed more bone to make space for the swollen brain to relax.

After the surgery, the child slipped into a coma for two weeks and when he woke up again, he underwent more surgeries at the hospital.

"The child went through many operations in 4 weeks. We conducted a cranioplasty, which is a procedure where the bone defect is reconstructed and an artificial bone is added to fill the defects after the fracture. A shunt insertion, which is a medical procedure that relieves pressure on the brain caused by fluid accumulation, was also conducted," he said.

Today the child can laugh, see and move his move his limbs. Dr Al Olama said that he is recovering well and moving all his limbs but has some weakness, especially on the right side which is normal after such brain injuries.

"This child will require extensive rehabilitation to be able to stand and walk and the prognosis is good," he concluded.

Usad Ullah's family said they are thankful to Rashid Hospital doctors and the lifesaving procedures they conducted to save the child's life.

Source: Khaleej Times