12-Year-Old Boy on the Mend After Being Hit by Motorcyclist in Granma

Young Manuel, a 12-year-old residing in the city of Manzanillo, is recovering well at home after being involved in a severe traffic accident that took place on the afternoon of June 5. While playing on his bicycle in the neighborhood, he was struck by a motorcycle, resulting in serious injuries, according to his mother, who received the distressing call from the Hermanos Cordové Children's Hospital.

Manuel sustained a severe cranial trauma with a frontoparietal fracture and exposed brain tissue. Although he arrived at the hospital conscious, his condition rapidly deteriorated. His neurological and respiratory systems began to fail, necessitating mechanical ventilation. This situation prevented his urgent transfer to Bayamo, where the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Provincial General Hospital is located.

In a critical decision, surgeon José Ángel Patiño Matamoros traveled from Bayamo to Manzanillo to perform an emergency surgical procedure, the first of its kind at Hermanos Cordové. The intricate surgery lasted six hours and was deemed a success.

"It was an extremely complex situation, with exposed bone fragments and brain tissue; the dura mater was completely torn with no defined edges," Dr. Patiño Matamoros explained to CNCTV. "This case was specific, unique, special because neither the operating room nor the intensive care unit had experience handling such cases. It was a learning experience for everyone," he emphasized.

Thanks to the swift actions of the medical team and the collaborative effort of the healthcare staff, Manuel is now stable and in the process of recuperating at home, surrounded by his family.