DHARAN, June 21: A patient infected with black fungus has undergone a complex surgery at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Dharan.
A 61-year old man from Kathmandu underwent surgery under the leadership of Dr Shankar Prasad Shah, otorhinolaryngologist at the institute. He has been discharged and returned home after two weeks of treatment at the hospital.
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It was only after the patient was discharged that the hospital informed that he had undergone black fungus surgery on Sunday. The surgery under the leadership of Dr Shah was carried out by Dr Rajan Mulmi from the Department of Anesthesia, Prof. Dr Birendra Prasad Shah, Prof Dr Krishna Pokharel, Dr Jenny Bajracharya, nurses Sarita Thakur, Renuka Rajbanshi and helper Durga BK. This is the first such operation conducted in the eastern parts of the country.
According to Dr Chudamani Pokharel, joint spokesperson of BPKIHS, an old man had come to the OPD for treatment on May 27 with a swollen left side of his face and redness in his left eye. The old man, who also suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes, had been suffering from this problem since a week ago. He was infected with COVID-19 and discharged just 10 days before he arrived at the hospital’s OPD.
During the examination of the patient at the institute, it was found that the back part of the left nostril was black and was filled with pus. According to BPKIHS, the man was then admitted to the ward on the same day and a surgery was conducted on the next day. During the operation, the black part inside the nose was removed and sent for lab tests. “The report of the test confirmed that the man was infected with black fungus,” said Joint Spokesperson Dr Pokharel. Black fungus is a deadly infection. According to the doctor, the patient's life could be lost if s/he does not get treatment on time.