Lucknow doctors save life of man who suffered from internal injuries after road accident with cattle

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Doctors in Lucknow have saved the life of a man who suffered from internal injuries due to a road accident.

The patient, a 45-year-old man, had fallen from his bike while trying to avoid cattle crossing the road. The impact from the bike handle caused a blunt injury to his upper abdomen.

While he was initially at a peripheral centre, he was showing signs of internal bleeding and drop in hemoglobin levels when he reached Medanta Super Speciality Hospital, where the doctors began his treatment, which they claim is India's first robotic-assisted surgery to treat injuries caused by a road accident.

Scans showed an injury near the pancreas, some internal bleeding, and damage to a key vein that connects the stomach and colon. Once the patient was stabilised, the surgical team decided to proceed with robotic-assisted surgery instead of the traditional open method.

"While other minimally invasive options were available, we went the robotic route because of the multiple advantages it offers over other methods," said Dr Sandeep Verma, director GI Surgery at the hospital, an experienced surgeon with extensive expertise in both open and laparoscopic surgery.

"In trauma, controlling bleeding with precision is critical. Robotic-assisted surgery gave us the manoeuverability and dexterity needed to take fine sutures on the injured vein, which would have been very difficult using laparoscopy. With vascular structures, even a one-millimeter deviation can make a life-threatening difference. The da Vinci system's wristed movements allowing for a wide range of motion allowed us to operate confidently and complete the repair safely through small incisions. These kinds of reconstructions are far more feasible robotically than laparoscopically," he added.

Throughout the procedure, the surgical team remained prepared to convert to an open approach if any complications emerged, ensuring patient safety was prioritised at every step. However, the entire procedure was completed robotically in under two hours.

The patient recovered well and was discharged four days after surgery without complications.

"I didn't know that such serious injuries could be treated without major cuts or stitches. I'm thankful to the entire team of doctors for helping me recover so quickly," said the patient.

Robotic-assisted surgery is still relatively uncommon in trauma care, mainly because such cases often require urgent intervention where open surgery is typically quicker and more widely practiced. However, Dr Sandeep explained that in stable patients like this one, robotics can offer distinct benefits: precise repairs which were crucial in reducing trauma to surrounding tissues, less postoperative pain, and quicker return to normal activities.

"Another advantage of robotics is that we can reach complex and hard-to-reach areas with better control and visibility, which supports enhanced outcomes," Dr. Sandeep noted.

According to the health expert, this case reflects the emerging potential of robotic-assisted surgery in trauma care. "As surgical expertise grows and technology advances, robotics could increasingly be applied to complex injury management in carefully selected trauma cases. Experiences like this help build clinical evidence for expanding the use of advanced technologies like da Vinci in scenarios that have traditionally relied on open surgery, especially when the patient's condition allows for a minimally invasive approach," he concluded.