In Lviv, doctors at St Nicholas Hospital of the First Lviv Medical Association, together with specialists from the Emergency Medical Care Centre, saved the life of 7-year-old Damir Mykhailo, who sustained a devastating head injury in a road traffic accident.
At the end of August, the boy was returning home with his father in a minibus. While they were driving, a heavy metal disc flew off a lorry travelling in front of them, pierced the minibus windscreen and struck the child on the head. According to the doctors, at the scene the boy showed no signs of life.
The ambulance crew, who arrived promptly at the scene, stopped the massive bleeding and resuscitated the child on the way to St Nicholas Hospital. At the medical facility, radiologists immediately performed a CT scan, after which neurosurgeons took the patient straight to the operating theatre.
Head of the Neurosurgery Department, Taras Mykytyn, said that the child was admitted in an extremely critical condition: the metal element had torn away part of the skull, damaged the brain tissue and membranes, and there was a risk of major blood vessels being affected. The doctors performed a decompressive craniotomy because of severe brain swelling, repaired the dura mater and placed an external drain to control the outflow of blood and cerebrospinal fluid.
The operation lasted about eight hours. After the surgery, anaesthetists in the intensive care unit fought for the boy’s life. Damir was in a coma and his breathing was supported by mechanical ventilation. After two weeks, the doctors managed to bring the child out of the coma; in total, he spent about a month in the intensive care unit.
While he was still in intensive care, specialists began early physical rehabilitation. Later, the patient was transferred to the Neurosurgery Department, where, due to post-traumatic hydrocephalus, he underwent several more surgical procedures and had a cerebrospinal fluid shunting system implanted.
The boy has now been in hospital for about two months and is showing the first positive signs of progress. Although Damir is still confined to bed and not yet speaking, he is conscious, responds to voices and recognises his relatives. He is working continuously with physical and speech therapists, and plastic surgeons are also examining him.
The Mykhailo family are being supported by the lorry driver and his family, who are providing both emotional and financial assistance. Doctors emphasise that, despite the tragic chain of events, thanks to the well-coordinated actions of all the services and the high professionalism of the medical staff, the story of this young patient has been given a chance of further recovery.
Damir now faces a long period of rehabilitation and the implantation of a metal plate to restore the integrity of his skull. The First Lviv Medical Association notes that it provides a full range of modern medical care — from diagnostics and treatment to complex surgery, rehabilitation and prosthetics, including for patients with the most severe injuries.