Doctors save teenager from Bakhmut with shell fragment stuck near his heart

Doctors from the city of Lviv have saved the life of 16-year-old Mykyta from Bakhmut, who sustained a severe mine-blast wound as a result of an attack.

Source: First Medical Association of Lviv

Details: According to the doctors, on 31 January, the teen left his house to get some water when shelling started in Bakhmut. As a result, a 3-cm-long shell fragment got stuck in his chest cavity, just a few millimetres from his aorta.

"Two people were killed and four injured, including Mykyta himself," the First Medical Association wrote.

They added that not only was he seriously wounded, he also suffered numerous fractures in his arms and legs, as well as damage to his left lung.

"Mykyta was rushed by ambulance to [the city of] Dnipro. Local doctors managed to stabilise his condition. Then he was taken to Lviv on an evacuation train," the doctors said.

They emphasised that two operations were carried out to save Mykyta's life. First, they removed the fragment from the chest cavity, and later small fragments from the soft tissues of the thigh and shoulder.

The doctors added that the surgery was performed by a team of paediatric surgeons. Cardiac surgeons were on duty in the operating theatre in case of complications.

"Now Mykyta's life is no longer in danger. However, he has a long recovery process ahead of him. For this purpose, rehabilitation specialists work with him for several hours every day," the medical centre says.

They added that Mykyta himself hopes for a speedy recovery and dreams of victory and returning home.

A total of 77% of displaced children have witnessed shelling and bombing, 73% have been in a bomb shelter, and almost 30% have survived living under occupation.

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