Man Survives Two Days With Arrow Lodged In His Head

A 64-year-old man has undergone emergency room aft surviving for 2 days pinch an arrow embedded successful his head. The incident took spot successful cardinal Italy, and nan man was yet admitted to nan Torrette Hospital successful Ancona successful a superior but unchangeable condition.

According to section media reports published connected Tuesday August 5, nan man had accidentally—or perchance intentionally—shot himself successful nan caput pinch his ain crossbow. The nonstop circumstances stay unclear.

Remarkably, he remained conscious passim nan ordeal. He spent 2 days unsocial successful his location without nutrient aliases water, nan arrow visibly protruding from his skull.

“He was speaking”

Maurizio Iacoangeli, caput of neurosurgery astatine nan Torrette Hospital, told Corriere della Sera: “He arrived conscious, pinch his eyes open. He was mumbling incoherently, but he was speaking. The arrow moreover prevented him from turning his head.”

The expert explained that nan arrow narrowly missed respective captious parts of nan brain. “If nan arrow avoids nan alleged ‘eloquent areas’—key encephalon structures specified arsenic nan pericallosal artery, nan superior sagittal sinus, and awesome venous vessels—then endurance is possible. Just 1 millimetre successful nan incorrect direction, and he would person died instantly. He was lucky.”

The arrow was made of carbon, a worldly which facilitated CT scans and allowed surgeons to scheme nan process much accurately. “The cardinal was not conscionable to region nan arrow, but to do truthful without triggering monolithic bleeding,” Iacoangeli added. “The arrow was acting for illustration a plug—pulling it retired could person opened a vulnerable wound.”

Recovering from nan injury

Doctors are now monitoring nan diligent intimately arsenic he recovers from some nan wounded and 2 days of dehydration and starvation. There is besides interest complete nan imaginable consequence of infection.

Despite nan trauma, Iacoangeli remains cautiously optimistic: “Today we talk a batch astir neuroplasticity—the brain’s expertise to compensate for mislaid functions. I firmly judge successful that.”