Successful amputation after text message instruction
Wednesday, 03 Dec 2008 11:54
Successful amputation after text message instruction
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A volunteer doctor in the Democratic Republic of Congo has performed a successful amputation of a boy's arm and saved his life after receiving guidance by text message from a colleague in London.
David Nott, 52, was working in a Medicins Sans Frontieres hospital in the town of Rutshuru when a 16-year-old boy, who had been caught in the midst of fighting in the Myanzale region, was brought to the hospital with his arm "totally destroyed".
A doctor had performed an amputation on the arm, but the remainder of his upper arm became gangrenous and severely infected.
When he reached Dr Nott, the child had "two to three days to live", and required a forequarter amputation involving the removal of the collar bone and shoulder blade.
"In the best hands [it] carries huge risks," Dr Nott said. "I had never done this operation before but I knew a colleague in London who had so I texted him. He sent me two very long text messages back explaining how to do the operation step by step."
Dr Nott admitted he initially doubted whether he should carry out the operation.
"I had to think long and hard about whether it was right to leave a young boy with only one arm in the middle of this fighting. In the end he would have died without it so I took a deep breath and followed the instructions to the letter," he said.
The doctor, who works at Charing Cross hospital, claims he felt confident enough to carry out the procedure because he could understand exactly the instructions he received via text, having operated with his colleague many times in the past.
The boy has now reportedly made a full recovery.