Not many in this world can claim to have survived a knife to the heart. But Dinesh, a resident of Sonipat in Haryana, can boast so thanks to the efforts of the surgical and medical team at Rohtak’s PGI.

Dinesh’s ordeal began on October 16 when he was stabbed during a fight with some people. The handle of the knife broke off, making the situation more critical. He was rushed to the trauma centre at the hospital around 2 am where doctors realized during examination that the knife was completely stuck inside Dinesh’s heart.

PGI director and senior cardiac surgeon Dr SS Lohchab said the knife had entered the right atrium through the fourth costochondral junction. In such a situation, the direct removal of the knife could have resulted in the patient’s death due to excessive bleeding.

The only option available was a rare heart operation. On October 22, doctors carefully opened the membrane near the patient’s heart, removed the knife, and repaired the right atrial chamber. They also successfully repaired the lungs of the patient. According to Dr Lohchab, the complex surgery took around three to four hours.

Dinesh is said to be recovering well and will be discharged soon.

His mother, Santosh, expressed her gratitude, saying the doctors were no less than God to her.

According to Dinesh’s driver Sameer, the fight on October 16 resulted from a failed abduction attempt. “Some people wanted to take him with them, but when I refused, they started beating me. When Dinesh intervened, they threatened him and then stabbed him before fleeing.”