In a rare and life-threatening medical incident, a man in India’s Chhattisgarh state narrowly survived after a major artery in his neck suddenly ruptured without any injury or underlying disease.
Rahul Kumar Jangde recalled that on December 1, he was brushing his teeth when he suddenly developed hiccups and felt an unusual fluttering sensation on the right side of his throat. Within minutes, his neck began to swell rapidly, causing severe pain and dizziness. He managed to tell his wife that something was wrong and that they needed to go to the hospital. He later regained consciousness in the emergency ward.
Doctors confirmed that Rahul had suffered a spontaneous rupture of the carotid artery — a major blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain. The condition, known as spontaneous carotid artery rupture, is extremely rare and had never been reported before in Chhattisgarh.
A team of surgeons performed a complex six-hour operation to save his life. According to Dr Krishnakant Sahu, the condition is usually associated with severe trauma or illnesses such as throat cancer, and spontaneous cases are exceptionally uncommon.
Medical research suggests that only around 10 such cases have been documented worldwide. Doctors warned that without immediate treatment, the condition can prove fatal within minutes, highlighting the importance of rapid emergency care.
