Shailendra Singh was shot in 2008, and despite experiencing chest pain and coughing up blood in recent months, he had managed to live with the bullet until now.
A remarkable medical case has emerged from Kanpur, where a 45-year-old man who lived with a bullet lodged dangerously close to his heart for 16 years has undergone a successful surgery to remove it. Shailender Singh, who had been shot in 2008, sought treatment at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, after experiencing severe chest pain and coughing up blood.
Singh had previously consulted various specialists in Kanpur, who advised against surgery due to the bullet's precarious location near vital structures, including his heart and lungs. Despite these concerns, Singh managed to live without significant symptoms for over a decade.
However, in the past year, Singh's condition deteriorated as he began experiencing persistent left-sided chest pain and hemoptysis—coughing up blood. The symptoms progressively worsened, prompting Singh to seek further medical help. A CT scan at Max Super Speciality Hospital revealed the bullet was lodged in the left lung hilum, accompanied by lung collapse and consolidation.
Dr. Shaiwal Khandelwal, Associate Director of Thoracic Surgery at Max Super Speciality Hospital, detailed the challenging nature of Singh's case.
"He consulted us, and his CT scan revealed a bullet in the left lung hilum with collapse and consolidation of the lung. He was advised of surgery, but the patient went back to his hometown to get a second opinion. Soon after, he started coughing up a massive amount of blood, made a distress call, and was admitted to hospital," Khandelwal said.
"His bronchoscopy revealed the bullet was pressing upon the airway, causing active bleeding from the left upper lobe of the lung. An emergency surgery was performed to remove the bullet and the damaged part of the lung. His condition improved significantly after the surgery," Dr. Khandelwal said.
Dr. Khandelwal noted that bullets lodged in critical areas without causing symptoms are typically left untreated. However, in certain cases, these bullets can lead to foreign body reactions, migrate, and affect vital structures, as occurred in this patient's situation.
"It is extremely rare to see a long-standing impacted bullet cause life-threatening bleeding. As a life-saving measure, emergency surgery is performed, and sometimes the entire lung may need to be removed. In this case, we removed only the cause of the bleeding and the already damaged lung," he said.
Following the successful surgery, Singh's condition has significantly improved. He has been discharged from the hospital and is currently recovering at home.