Doctors at Delhi govt’s Lok Nayak Hospital (LNJP) confirmed the death of Bilal (35), who, according to police, lived near Jama Masjid. However, some sources said that he was a resident of Kangan in Ganderbal, Jammu & Kashmir.Among the most severely injured victims brought to the hospital after the explosion, Bilal suffered an abdominal-penetrating injury along with nearly 70% burns, said a senior doctor who was involved in his treatment. He underwent surgery on Wednesday after shrapnel from the blast ruptured multiple internal organs. “Despite the surgical intervention, his condition remained extremely critical, and he could not survive,” the doctor added. All 24 injured are being treated by LNJP multidisciplinary teams, hospital authorities said. Six of them continue to remain critical, as teams of doctors fight to stabilise them amid one of the hospital’s most challenging emergency responses in recent times. “There have been no discharges or referrals to other facilities as we have all experts and faculties here,” an official said. Doctors performed another complex surgery on a patient on Wednesday to remove a piece of shrapnel that pierced his eye. “The patient had a head injury and a sharp foreign object punctured and was lodged inside the eye, damaging the cornea,” said a doctor. Since the patient was too critical to be shifted to Guru Nanak Eye Centre, a team of ophthalmic surgeons from the eye hospital was brought to LNJP instead. “Eye surgeries require an operating microscope. We planned and conducted the procedure in the neuro operation theatre, where such microscopes are available,” a senior surgeon said. The operation was successful, and the shrapnel was removed. “The cornea has been repaired,” the surgeon added. Ophthalmologists have now joined the existing team of surgeons drawn from general surgery, burns and plastic, orthopaedics, neurosurgery, anaesthesia and ENT departments. Over 50 doctors and support staff have been working round the clock in LNJP’s 70-bed disaster ward since Monday night. The unit was activated within minutes of the explosion, and has treated victims with severe burns, fractures, head injuries and blast-related trauma.Speaking about the pattern of injuries, doctors said two kinds of trauma are common among blast victims – burns and ear injuries. “Most have superficial-to-deep burns, especially on the face and extremities. Many suffer ruptured eardrums or temporary hearing loss due to the shockwave,” a medic said. At least four patients were treated for pneumothorax – a condition in which a blast’s shockwave causes air to leak into the chest cavity, leading to the lung collapsing. Several others suffered eardrum ruptures and pellet wounds, while a few had to undergo emergency amputations.The hospital has set up a temporary facility near the emergency ward to accommodate up to two relatives per patient. They will be given food.
