The patient, Rahul Jangde, a resident of Bhanpuri in Raipur, collapsed at his home early in the morning after experiencing sudden and severe pain in his neck. Family members noticed rapid swelling in his throat and rushed him to Mekahara, where emergency investigations revealed a spontaneous rupture of the right carotid artery, one of the main blood vessels supplying the brain.
Doctors described the condition as “rarest of the rare,” with a mortality rate of up to 70 percent if not treated immediately. The patient had no prior medical history, trauma, infection, or known vascular disease, making the case medically unusual.
Following a CT angiography, Rahul was shifted to the Heart, Chest and Vascular Surgery department, where a high-risk emergency surgery was planned. According to senior vascular surgeon and department head Dr Krishnakant Sahu, the procedure was extremely challenging due to massive blood clots in the neck that made identification of the ruptured artery difficult.
“The only option was surgery. Even a minor error could have resulted in instant death or permanent brain damage,” Dr Sahu said.
The surgical team performed a five-hour operation, repairing the ruptured artery using a bovine pericardium patch—tissue derived from the membrane surrounding a cow’s heart. The method is commonly used in complex vascular repairs but has rarely been applied in such spontaneous rupture cases.
Medical literature notes that spontaneous carotid artery rupture without underlying disease has been documented only a handful of times globally since the early 1980s.
Rahul is now stable, has been discharged, and is recovering at home. Speaking after his recovery, he said he believed he would not survive the incident and credited the doctors for giving him “a second life.”
Hospital authorities described the surgery as a major achievement for the institution. Medical College Dean Dr Vivek Chaudhary and Medical Superintendent Dr Santosh Sonkar congratulated the surgical team, calling it a landmark success for advanced vascular care in Chhattisgarh.
Doctors say the case highlights the importance of rapid emergency response and advanced diagnostic and surgical capabilities in saving lives during rare vascular emergencies.
