Bullet successfully removed from 12-year-old Balochistan boy’s heart at NICVD Karachi

Doctors at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi have successfully removed a bullet lodged in the heart

KARACHI: Doctors at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi have successfully removed a bullet lodged in the heart of a 12-year-old boy from Khuzdar, Balochistan, in a complex emergency cardiac surgery that saved his life.

The child, a resident of Khuzdar district, sustained a gunshot injury in an accidental incident in Khuzdar city. He was initially taken to a local hospital for emergency medical treatment. However, given the severity of his injury and the critical condition of his heart, doctors decided to refer him to Karachi for specialized cardiac care.

The boy was subsequently brought to the Pediatric Emergency Department of NICVD Karachi, where medical specialists immediately assessed his condition. An emergency echocardiography examination was performed and confirmed the presence of a bullet inside the child’s heart.

Considering the life-threatening nature of the injury, the medical team acted without delay. The child was transferred to the operating theatre within minutes of his arrival at the hospital, where surgeons began an emergency procedure to remove the bullet and prevent further damage to his heart.

The complicated cardiac surgery continued for approximately two hours and was carried out under the leadership of Professor Sohail Khan Bangash. The surgical and medical team also included Dr Saad Badr, Dr Abdul Sattar Sheikh, Professor Ameen Khawaja and other specialists.

Professor Sohail Khan Bangash said the child had been brought to NICVD in an extremely critical condition. Given the location of the bullet and the seriousness of the injury, the medical team decided that emergency surgery was necessary and that any delay could have placed the child’s life at greater risk.

He said the coordinated efforts of the cardiac surgeons, emergency physicians, anesthetists, nurses and other healthcare professionals helped ensure that the procedure was completed successfully.

According to the medical team, the bullet was successfully removed from the child’s heart during the operation. Following the surgery, the boy’s condition showed significant improvement and he was reported to be recovering rapidly under medical supervision.

The successful procedure highlights the importance of timely referral and access to specialized cardiac care in life-threatening cases. Injuries involving the heart are considered particularly dangerous because even a small foreign object can cause severe bleeding, damage to cardiac structures or other potentially fatal complications.

In this case, the rapid diagnosis through emergency echocardiography and the immediate decision to perform surgery played a crucial role in the child’s treatment. The medical team’s coordinated response enabled the surgeons to address the injury before further complications could develop.

The successful treatment at NICVD has also demonstrated the institute’s capacity to manage highly complex pediatric cardiac emergencies. The child continues to recover following the operation, with doctors closely monitoring his condition.