A day after the brutal attack on 20-year-old Madhavi and her husband Sandeep, the woman’s condition continues to remain serious, even as she was taken off ventilator support, doctors at Hyderabad’s Yashoda hospital said.
The police said that Madhavi’s father Manoharachari had called the couple under the pretext of buying new clothes for a wedding reception that had been planned. However, when they met him near Gokul Theatre in Hyderabad’s Erragadda, he took out a sickle from his bag and attacked them.
The couple was taken to Neelima Hospital by onlookers where Sandeep, who had sustained a deep gash to the cheek, was stabilised and later discharged. Madhavi on the other hand was in a far more critical condition, having been hacked on the neck and arms multiple times, and was shifted to Yashoda Hospital for further treatment. A team of 15 doctors tended to her on Wednesday night and she was taken up for an emergency surgery.
On Thursday morning, doctors at Yashoda hospital addressed the media and said that Madhavi remained in a critical condition and was kept under observation in the ICU on the ventilator and only after taking her off would they be able to assess her condition properly. Around noon she was taken off the ventilator and the team informed the media that she was responsive, but still not out of danger.
The doctors said that multiple surgeries were done; after they controlled the bleeding, they performed a surgery to reconstruct her facial nerve, blood vessels, ear and muscles. Then they performed another surgery to reconstruct blood vessels, nerve, tendons and muscles, and fix bones in her left hand. The last operation was conducted on the right hand, wherein her tendon and muscles were repaired.
A press release issued by the hospital stated that there was a deep laceration, measuring 15x5 centimeters, on the left side of her face which had split her ear and left a gash on her neck. There was also profuse bleeding of the carotid artery and multiple veins which were cut along with muscles of the neck.
Furthermore, doctors added that there was a near total amputation of her left arm and that her neurovascular bundles had been cut as well as two bones were fractured. They also said that there was a deep laceration on her right wrist, with cut tendons.
“Post-surgery, patient was kept on ventilator support and shifted to surgical ICU. Adequate packs of blood were given,” the release stated.
The team also said that Madhavi would continue to be under observation for some more time in order to ensure that she responds well to the treatment, stating that she was conscious and maintaining both a steady pulse rate and blood pressure. They also added that her haemoglobin levels had improved to 10.8 gms% from the 3 gms% at the time of admission.
“She needs ICU stay for further monitoring in view of multiple injuries. Major surgeries done. Multiple blood transfusions done, off from the ventilatory support from today afternoon,” the release stated.
According to police, Madhavi and Sandeep were in love for the past five years and wanted to get married. While Sandeep belongs to a scheduled caste, Madhavi's family (OBC) are goldsmiths by profession. The girl's family refused to accept the marriage but at the counselling conducted by the police they claimed to accept it. The father has since been arrested.