‘Miracle man’ narrowly escapes death after meter-high iron bar passes through his groin and into his chest after fall

A MAN who slipped and fell from scaffolding miraculously escaped death after being impaled by an iron bar.

The 57-year-old fell five meters onto a one-metre pole which pierced his perineum, before hitting his abdomen and chest.

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The unidentified Brazilian man’s horrific accident and emergency surgery were described in a case report published in International Journal of Surgery Case reports.

Scans and photos published in the report show the metal rod entering his perineum – the area of ​​delicate skin between the genitals and anus – and extending down his body, narrowly missing his heart.

“These injuries frequently occur in fall-from-height situations, most commonly seen among construction workers,” wrote the doctors involved in his care.

About 25% of people who suffer perineal impalement do not survive long enough to be admitted to hospital, they added.

But miraculously, the 57-year-old beat the odds, not only surviving the accident and the painstaking surgery to remove the post, but also being discharged to the general ward with no lasting problems after just three days.

The man was rushed to Complexo Hospitalar do Trabalhador in Curitiba, Brazil, after a five meter fall, where his heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels were recorded as “stable”.

A full-body computed tomography (CT) scan showed “an extensive metallic object transfixing the perineum toward the abdominal and thoracic cavities.”

The man was promptly taken to an operating room.

Surgeons made a surgical incision into his abdominal cavity to examine the state of his internal organs and decided to perform a sternotomy – where the breastbone is cut – to reach the rod.

Doctors noted that the rod pierced the man’s liver and diaphragm and reached the same height as the root of the aorta – the largest artery in the body – without violating the heart.

They were able to successfully remove the probe and damaged tissue before sewing him back together from his neck to his groin.

The man was transferred to the ICU, where he received blood transfusions.

Just two days after undergoing major surgery, he was able to walk and eat.

Three days later, he was discharged to the general ward and received physical therapy.

During a discharge assessment 12 days after the operation, doctors discovered abnormal scar tissue in part of his urethra and it was decided he would need surgery for this.

There was no further information on whether the man underwent this operation and whether it was successful.

This is not the first time that horrific cases like this have been reported.

A 19-year-old worker was working on a construction site in Bangkok, Thailand, when he fell into a metal pole that hit him in the back.

Meanwhile, another man was left with a metal bar stuck in his head after falling two floors.

And the historic case of Phineas Gage, who was horrifically shot in the head with an iron bar in 1848 and survived for another 12 years, has long intrigued scientists.

Last year, researchers recreated details of the injury, showing the impact after his skull was used to complete a full reconstruction of his body. characteristics.