Israeli surgeons remove iron rod from man’s skull, saving life

“It just went through, one side to the other,” the doctor said.

By Josh Plank, World Israel News

Doctors at Hadassah Medical Center surgically removed an iron rod that had penetrated completely through Kamel Abdel Rahman’s head, The Jerusalem Post reports.

A month ago, the 46-year-old Rahman fell onto the rod from the second floor of an apartment which was under construction. “I couldn’t move, so I called for help,” he said.

“I was conscious and I did not feel any pain at all. I do not know how to explain it,” Rahman recalled.

When his family members rushed to his aid, he saw the expressions of shock on their faces and heard them screaming. “I knew the situation must be serious,” he said.

Rahman was taken to the hospital in the Ein Kerem neighborhood of Jerusalem where he was met by Dr. Samuel Moscovici.

“When I got to the trauma room, I saw a man with an iron rod though his head – it just went through, one side to the other,” said Dr. Moscovici.

The doctors conducted imaging tests which showed that the rod had entered between the two important arteries that supply blood to the brain but did not appear to damage them.

“For many hours, we analyzed the wound, and we took the rod out of his head very carefully,” Dr. Moscovici said.

Prof. Jose Cohen performed a brain catherization, and doctors closed the area and waited a few days for the swelling to go down.

The team then performed a 10-hour endoscopic nose surgery to repair the severe damage and stop the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid. After the surgery, they hermetically closed the base of the skull with fat taken from Rahman’s abdomen.

Doctors were optimistic but unsure of their patient’s recovery. However, he woke up, showed positive vital signs, and was released from the hospital last week.

“They saved my ability to speak and walk,” Rahman said. “They saved my life.”

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