11-Year-Old Girl Survives Emergency Brain Surgery After Head Injury During Play
An 11-year-old girl from northern Israel lost consciousness due to a severe brain injury sustained while playing, prompting emergency surgery that saved her life. The incident occurred after the girl collided with a taut rope and fell, hitting her head. She was brought to Ziv Medical Center in Safed fully conscious but experiencing severe headaches and neck bruising.
A CT scan revealed an epidural intracranial hemorrhage, a dangerous accumulation of blood between the skull and brain membrane. Shortly after the scan, her condition rapidly deteriorated as she began to have seizures, lost consciousness, and showed signs of increased intracranial pressure, including pupil dilation.
She was rushed into an emergency craniotomy performed by Dr. Chagai Swissa, who removed part of her skull to stop the bleeding and relieve pressure on her brain. After the procedure, the bone was replaced and secured. The girl was initially placed in the pediatric intensive care unit under sedation and ventilation. Following significant improvement and weaning from ventilation, she was transferred to the pediatric ward and later discharged home.
Dr. Samuel Tobias, head of the neurosurgery unit, emphasized the critical role of having a neurosurgical department at Ziv Medical Center, stating that without immediate treatment, the girl could have died.
