CRPF braveheart commander discharged from AIIMS

New Delhi, April 5 : After making a "miraculous" recovery, CRPF's breavheart commander Chetan Kumar Cheetah, who went into a deep coma two months ago on sustaining nine gunshot wounds in an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir, walked out of hospital on Wednesday, doctors said.

"His (Cheetah) recovery is no less than a miracle... Despite several complications in the treatment causing hurdle, the team of doctors did their best and made him recover," Amit Gupta, AIIMS spokesperson, told IANS.

The Central Reserve Security Force (CRPF) said it was due to the specialised surgical and medical intervention by the All India Medical Institute of Sciences (AIIMS) that helped Cheetah come back to life.

Treatment of Cheetah, who was in coma for weeks after being brought to the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre of the AIIMS, required the combined efforts of medical experts from six departments: Trauma Surgery and Critical Care, Intensivist, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic, Opthalmology and Plastic surgery.

Cheetah, 45, was injured in a gunfight between three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants and a joint team of the CRPF, the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police on February 14 morning in Parraypora village, in Bandipora district's Hajin area.

He suffered injuries to his head, upper limbs, waist, and pelvic region, hands, right eye and suffered a maxillofacial injury. He was initially treated at the Army Base Hospital, Srinagar, before being airlifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he underwent a brain surgery.

According to the AIIMS, after he was shifted to the hospital, Cheetah was taken up by the division of Trauma and Critical Care.

"At the time of presentation, he was on mechanical ventilation and was hypotensive. He was then shifted to Intensive Care Unit and adequately resuscitated," said the AIIMS before Cheetah's discharge.

AIIMS spokesperson Amit Gupta said that a repeat NCCT -- a procedure for head -- was done which showed ruptures in the frontal injured tissue and skin and ruptured blood capillaries.

"After his treatment by the neurosurgeons and opthalmologists, he was again shifted to the ICU. He was on mechanical ventilation for 16 days. The patient in between developed CSF-rhinorrhea, which is the drainage of the fluid which surrounds the brain into the nose. It was managed with lumbar drain placement which was removed later," said the statement.

The hospital authorities also said that Cheetah developed signs of sepsis -- life-threatening complication of an infection -- due to his wound and injuries which was managed by critical care specialists in ICU.

"His wounds were regularly debrided in which all materials that may promote infection and impede healing are removed," said the statement.

According to the hospital, with progress in the health, Cheetah was shifted to special ward on March 16 where he underwent rehabilitation in the form of physiotherapy and speech therapy. 

"The ICU stay was 30 days, subsequently the wounds were covered with skin grafting by plastic surgery team," said the AIIMS statement. 

During the hospital stay, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju visited Cheetah.