Live grenade lodged under the heart of Ukrainian soldier is removed, doctors say
Doctors in Ukraine successfully removed a live grenade from under the heart of a soldier, military and medical officials said.
The high-stakes operation removed an unexploded VOG grenade from the body of a Ukrainian soldier, Ukrainian deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar said in a Jan. 9 news release. X-rays show the grenade lodged in the soldier’s chest.
Because the grenade could explode at any time, one of Ukraine’s most experienced surgeons conducted the operation without electrocoagulation, a surgery technique that uses heat and electrical currents to burn away abnormal tissue, Maliar said.
The unexploded part of the grenade was stuck under the soldier’s heart, adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Anton Gerashchenko, said in a Telegram news release.
Two sappers, or military engineers, oversaw the surgery to ensure the safety of medical staff, Maliar said.
The surgery was successful, Gerashchenko said, quoting the communications adviser to the commander of the medical forces in Ukraine’s military, Yevgenia Slivko.
The 28-year-old wounded soldier was sent for rehabilitation in stable condition, Slivko said, per Gerashchenko’s news release.
Officials did not specify how the soldier was injured or where the surgery took place.
Facebook Translate was used to translate the news release from Hanna Maliar. Google Translate was used to translate the Telegram news release from Anton Gerashchenko.
This story was originally published January 13, 2023 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Live grenade lodged under the heart of Ukrainian soldier is removed, doctors say."
