A 27-year-old man declared brain dead after he met with an accident in Karnataka, is now responding to treatment and his vitals are also suspected normal on Tuesday a day after he was rushed to another hospital when a doctor deputed to conduct his postmortem noticed goosebumps and movement of his hands when he touched him.
A private hospital in Belagavi declared Shankar Gombi brain dead after keeping him under two-days observation and asked his family to take his body after he met with an accident in Mahalingapur on February 27.
The body was then sent to the Mahalingapur government hospital in Bagalkote on Monday for post-mortem as the family prepared for Gombi’s funeral on Monday.
SS Galgali, the doctor who was assigned to perform the post-mortem, said as he was driving towards the hospital, there were cut-outs and banners across the town announcing Gombi’s death.
“I knew the face on my surgery table, but I did not expect he would be alive,” Galgali said.
Galgali found Gombi was still on a ventilator. Gombi’s family told Galgali that the doctors at the private hospital told them he would stop breathing once the ventilator support was removed.
Galgali said that he was informed on Tuesday that Gombi was showing some improvement and his vitals are normal. “I am told there is a chance of his survival and he responds to treatment,” he said.
“I have done more than 400 post-mortems in my 18-year-old career but never seen a case like that.”
A Bagalkote police officer, who did not want to be named, said no case has been registered yet as they were yet to receive a complaint. “For the case of medical negligence, the district health department will have to take a call,” he said.
Authorities at the private hospital, where Gombi was first admitted, were immediately unavailable for comments. The story will be updated as and when the hospital responds to their queries.
