CONQUEST OF DEATH 18

(A FUNNY CALL)

Every Sunday many doctors attend medical seminars in various institutions.

One Sunday after the seminar our group was recollecting the memories of our student days and cracking jokes.

Suddenly my colleague, my medical officer, Dr. Harish Walawalkar asked me

“Do you remember that funny call?”

“Which one?”

“That one from gynaec ward?”

“From gynaec ward? For me? I was in surgical ward!” I said.

“A patient had undergone hysterectomy (an operation for removal of the uterus), did not pass urine till late evening, the sister on duty in the gynaec ward sent you an urgent call:

“The operated patient did not pass urine, please come and pass urine!!”

 Soon our giggles turn into guffaws.

“Yeah---- yeah! I distinctly remember!!

As the surge of laughter ebbed I narrated the incident-----

As he mentioned, one day I received the call from the gynaec ward. Sensing some thing amiss though I did not get the hang of the call, I rushed to the ward.

“Sister what is the problem?” I asked the sister on duty.

Taking me to the bed of the patient she said

“She has undergone hysterectomy in the morning but has not yet passed urine.”

The patient was restless. She was getting dull ache in the loins.

I examined her. Her urinary bladder was empty. To confirm it I passed a catheter. Not a drop of urine could be drained.

That was ominous!

“During the operation probably both the ureters (the tubes conducting urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder) were inadvertently, ligated” I thought.

I discussed the emergency situation with the radiologist on duty.

To confirm my conjecture I requested him to help me.

He injected a radio-opaque contrast medium to delineate the urinary tract. (IVU)

The x-ray picture was beckoning me for urgent surgical intervention.

I informed the chief surgeon. He decided to undertake an emergency exploration.

I explained the situation to the patient and to her relatives. They consented for the operation.

We began the exploration in the midnight.

“There it is” I exclaimed with joy as I could locate the ligature on one side.

The chieftain could cut the ligature and relieve the obstruction.

Hummm! We all breathed a sigh of relief.

The other ureter was dilated but we could not locate the ligature.

“This side we will have to implant the ureter in the bladder and fix the bladder. Isn’t it?” Said the chieftain.

“Yeah” Said I. “B—u—t in emergency, do minimum!” He exclaimed.

“Sir, if the patient is stable, let us complete the job once for all. Why explore second time?” I said.

“She is quite stable.” Succinctly said the anaesthetist.

We proceeded with the plan. It took long time to complete the operation.

A life threatening debacle was averted.

The postoperative recovery was uneventful.

After ten days she was discharged from the ward.

I picked up the call book and showed the call message to the gynaec registrar. She could not contain the outburst of snigger.

Saying,

“Now that your patient has been able to pass urine I need not come to your ward to pass urine!” I left the ward.

A TRUE STORY IN REAL LIFE!

A DRAMA IN MY LIFE!!

DR. HEMANT VINZE