A Cretan man survived a gunshot wound to the head

The American medical journal American Journal of Case Reports revealed the “miracle” of a farmer from Crete who was shot in the head and survived with only a 3% chance.

The 29-year-old farmer from Crete was shot from a pistol from a distance of about 10 meters, the Daily Mail reported in its report. The bullet passed through the left hemisphere of his brain and ended up in the back of his skull. The man was taken to hospital in a “comatose state” an hour after the shooting, where doctors performed emergency surgery to remove part of his skull and remove shrapnel and the bullet. It was not possible to “clean everything up”; some fragments remained in the brain.

It is estimated that less than three percent of people survive a gunshot head injury. Of these, even fewer people fully recover from their injuries and continue to live as they did before. almost fatal injury.

Two and a half years after being shot in the head, the man is still alive, but can no longer speak beyond “one-syllable sentences” and has difficulty understanding speech. He also suffers from involuntary spasms on the right side of his body and difficulty moving muscles on the left side. However, the researchers stated that he still has feelings and is able to signal his desires through sounds and facial muscles. Family members also told doctors that they were sure he remembered past events, although no evidence of this was provided.

The bullet went through the left hemisphere of his brainwhich is involved in processing speech and language, as well as controlling movements on the right side of the body. Right side, which is involved in emotions and problem solving, and the left side of movements were not affected. The incident was reported in the American Journal of Case Reports by doctors at the General University Hospital of Heraklion. It is unknown whether it was an accident or attempted murder.

Most people shot in the head die almost immediately, either from shock or from loss of vital functions. The area of ​​the brain at its base controls activities such as breathing and heartbeat, which when damaged stop and death soon follows.

However, in rare cases, patients survive if the brain damage does not affect critical structures and they receive prompt medical attention. This happened with a patient from Crete.

It means that In principle, it is possible to survive with such an injury, although people will most likely remain disabled for the rest of their lives. Doctors said they revealed the case to the public to show that the brain can recover after injury to the left hemisphere.

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