Medicos conduct rare laparoscopic gallbladder surgery of 105-year-old man in Srinagar

Srinagar, Nov 24: In a rare feat, doctors in Srinagar performed a successful laparoscopic gallbladder surgery of a 105-year-old man.

The surgery was conducted by Senior Consultant Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgeon, Dr Rafiq Simnani and assisted by Consultant Anaesthesia, Dr Oomeed at Medicare Specialty Hospital in Srinagar.

Dr Simnani claimed that Muneer Gojarwana is now recognised as the "world’s 2nd oldest person" to undergo laparoscopic gallbladder surgery. He said the first recorded case was in 2019, and the patient had applied for registration with the "World Genius Records."

Dr Simnani while talking to Greater Kashmir said the patient Muneer Gojarwana, hailing from the Manigam area of Ganderbal was suffering from recurrent pain of abdomen episodes due to gallstones for the past two years.

“Gojarwana was initially assessed at District Hospital Ganderbal. However, due to his age exceeding 100 years and multiple associated health issues, he was later referred to the tertiary care SMHS Hospital. The decision to opt for surgery was delayed due to the heightened risks associated with his very advanced age,” he said.

He said that the patient experienced acute severe pain on Thursday morning, prompting immediate admission to Medicare Hospital.

“Recognising surgery as the sole option for a permanent cure, he underwent the laparoscopic procedure later that evening. We performed the surgery through four small 5mm incisions, removing around seven larger gallstones. Astonishingly, the patient was comfortably engaged in conversation just two hours post-surgery” he said.

He said that performing gallbladder surgery after age 80, 90 is almost rare and nobody operates normally because of the age factor.

Highlighting the general reluctance to perform surgeries on patients above 80, Dr Simnani said that the decision to operate on Gojarwana “was not merely to showcase a medical milestone but to send a powerful message to the healthcare community.”

“Actually, our message is that we shouldn’t give up. We should try our best. We can operate even at the age of 105 years,” he said.

As per the doctor, the patient will be discharged on Saturday morning.