'Ginisiriya' spike which pierced the thighs ... removed by surgery at Karapitiya

'Ginisiriya' spike which pierced the thighs ... removed by surgery at Karapitiya

A Ginisiriya spike of about a length of 5 feet which passed through the left thigh of a person who fell down from a coconut tree was removed at Galle, Karapitiya Hospital after a spellbound surgery.

The individual who faced this mishap was a father of 4 children. He had climbed a coconut tree and after plucking the coconuts he had been getting down from the tree and had thus fallen down from a

height of about 35 or 40 feet in the process and during the fall he had landed on a Ginisiriya fence close by. On that occasion a spike had gone through his left thigh.

This accident had taken place on the 12th of this month and after being admitted to Embilipitiya Hospital he was transferred to Karapitiya Teaching Hospital that afternoon, with the spike intact. After a miraculous operation which lasted for approximately two and a half hours that day, Specialist doctor Ranjuka Ubeysiri and team mates were successful in removing the spike. Because of this surgery it was possible to save the patient's life. It was Edirige Piyasiri (55) a resident of Uswewa area in Angunukolapelessa who was the victim in this instance.

Specialist Surgeon Ranjuka Ubeysiri had these observations to make regarding this miraculous operation: "After this victim was subjected to this accident it was to Embilipitiya Hospital that he was initially admitted to and a doctor of that hospital contacted me and told me that this patient would be transferred to Karapitiya Teaching Hospital for a surgery and that an accident has happened to the victim's nerves. As such he was directed to me with the said spike intact. Later I took him inside the operating theatre and removed the spike from his thigh. First of all I blocked the flow of blood to the leg. After obstructing the flow of blood of nerves from the top part, the injured part was thoroughly cleansed and the nerves concerned were put in order. It was later that the spike was removed by surgery. However his main nerve had not been damaged. After the operation there was a satisfactory flow of blood to the legs of this patient. An MRI test is being conducted in order to check whether his spinal cord has been affected. He is in good health. In the instance when a spike like this enters the body, a victim should be brought to hospital. If an attempt is taken to remove such a spike,, the victim's life even may be at stake with an instance of haemmorage taking place.

Edirige Piyasiri  who faced this tragedy had this to say: "I was involved in plucking coconuts for a mudalali. In one field I plucked coconuts from about 17 trees. In the other field I plucked from about 14 trees. After that when I climbed another tree and was coming down I got hold of a coconut branch; but that broke off from my grip. I wasn't able to grip the other branch. I fell from the tree. There was a Ginisiriya tree on the fence and it was a spike from that tree which went through my leg. I was taken to hospital after detaching the spike from that tree".

(Galle -- Kamal Wijehewa / Jinesh Nanayakkara)