When Abdi Shakur Saidi,17, arrived at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on New Year’s Day with a knife sticking out his left eye, doctors knew they had their work cut out for them.
The Form Two pupil from Kayole was walking home with his friends on New Year’s Eve when a known assailant attacked and stabbed him in the eye.
His friends tried to remove the knife, not knowing the kind of damage that could cause, especially since it had gone from the eye to the base of the skull and raptured his left globe.
“I told them I did not want anyone calling my mother because I knew she would be scared at the sight of me with a knife sticking out of my eye. They tried to yank the knife but in the process they ended up removing its handle,” he said.
The young man was rushed to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital at 2am. He had lost consciousness from excessive bleeding, prompting his friends to call his mother.
Doctors at the hospital could not perform the surgery to remove the knife. A private facility nearby advised the patient to go to KNH.
Abdishakur Saidi, who was stabbed in the eye on New Year’s Eve at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
In extensive consultations with various specialists at KNH, the family was told about the possible outcomes of an operation, including eyesight loss and even death. The family gave its consent for the surgery.
Ophthalmologists Dr Rhoda Munene and Dr PT Nyaga said that when they examined the patient, they confirmed what they suspected – that the knife was firmly stuck in his brain.
Dr Nyaga explained that though the surgery was urgent, they simply could not dive in right away. They put the patient on a broad spectrum of antibiotics and painkillers.
“There was also the issue of ICU. Given that this hospital is a national referral, the chances of having a bed just lying around is low and so we also had to ensure we had a bed waiting for him in the ICU after surgery,” he said.
On January 5, Saidi’s 18th birthday, he was wheeled into theatre and the 12-hour surgery that would change his life started.
“Here is a young jovial teenager with his whole life ahead of him and the mood was tense because despite our experience we are aware that all patients are different and the outcomes are also different,” Dr Munene said.
Saving Saidi’s life
Despite the risks, the doctors opened his orbit, only to find out the eye was completely ruptured. They removed the left orbit so they could see the bones well and were able to see the extent of the stab, making it possible to finally remove the knife.
The team of neurosurgeons, including Dr Omar Ahmednassir, then stepped in. The patient needed a lot of blood and ultimately used six units.
“Major blood vessels were not injured and the patients had no indication of stroke so he was taken to ICU and removed from the ventilator the next day,” Dr Ahmednassir said.
The surgery alone, which cost about Sh500,000, was done pro bono, with KNH chief executive Dr Evanson Kamuri saying saving Saidi’s life was important and the family could not afford the treatment.
He added that the public facility was the only place where a team of experts could do it under one roof.
Saidi, who lost his sight in the left eye, was excited about finally leaving the hospital. Doctors told him that simple day-to-day activities like pouring tea into a cup or walking down the stairs may be difficult at first.
He will also be given spectacles with prosthetics mounted on them that are made locally. BY DAILY NATION