Mumbai: A Mumbai doctor saved the life of a 17-year-old Kolkata boy by removing a coconut-sized stone weighing 1 kilogram from his augmented (enlarged) urinary bladder. Notably, the boy is an orphan, so the surgery was done for free on compassionate grounds.
Rajiv Redkar, a consultant paediatric surgeon at the S.L. Raheja Hospital, a Fortis associate hospital in Mahim, removed the calcium oxalate stone from the bladder of the boy and also reconstructed a urinary bladder during the complicated and rare surgery on June 30. The boy, Reuben Sheikh, has responded to the surgery very well. His kidneys are now well protected and functioning fine, Redkar said.
Sheikh was born with an exposed urinary bladder and a malformed penis. He suffered from Exstrophy-Epispadias Complex (EEC) which is a rare condition found in one in 1,00,000 live births. The biggest complication in such cases is that the exposed bladder can’t store urine or function normally, resulting in urine leakage.
Well, it is for the second time that Dr Rajiv Redkar saved his life. Around 15 years back, Redkar had performed a Bladder Augmentation and Mitrofanoff Procedure to create a new tube on his belly through which he could urinate by using a catheter.
“The tube was made from the appendix, and it connected the bladder to a small hole created in the belly button. However, after his treatment, he went back to Kolkata and did not follow up,” said Redkar, who was then practising at the Wadia Hospital.
“A few days ago, he called me for help as he was experiencing severe discomfort, pain and inability to control urination. When I presented this case to our management, the hospital decided to treat him free of cost,” he added. His treatment at Wadia was sponsored.
“I am extremely grateful to Dr Redkar and Fortis SL Raheja Hospital for giving me a new lease of life. I did not have any money to get myself treated. When I called Dr Redkar, he immediately asked me to come to Mumbai and said he would help. I was then informed that the hospital was willing to treat me free of cost. I am now feeling better and will surely maintain my health and do my follow-ups,” Sheikh said.
(With IANS inputs)
