Doctor does surgery with a DIY drill

[streetwise]

A BRITISH brain surgeon used an inexpensive cordless drill to remove a tumour from a fully conscious woman - and it was even caught on film.
Leading neurosurgeon Henry Marsh used a 9.6 volt Bosch drill – which cost him £30 ($65) – to perform the emergency operation on Marian Dolishny’s head while travelling through the Ukraine.

UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Marsh was unable to find a suitable anaesthetist – so his patient was only given a local anaesthetic to cope with the pain.

When the cordless drill’s battery went flat, Mr Marsh was forced to finish the operation by hand and saved Ms Dolishny’s life, the newspaper said.

Mr Marsh said he kept talking to his patient throughout the surgery to make sure he wasn't causing any brain damage.

“I'm not recommending that we should all use Bosch do-it-yourself drills in England, but it shows how with improvisation you can achieve a lot,” Mr Marsh said.

“I couldn't bear to stand by and do nothing.

“A Ukrainian doctor told me I couldn't do anything to help but I wasn't prepared to accept that.”

The 58-year-old Londoner travels to the eastern European country twice a year to perform unpaid surgeries.

Documentary-makers from the BBC were following Mr Marsh’s latest visit to the Ukraine at the time of the surgery.

The documentary, The English Surgeon, will be broadcast in the UK on March 30.

 

[LTR12101B]

While in UK hospitals, £80 drill bits are discarded rather than sterilized.

Now for some things, single use units or replacement components make a lot of sense, as the energy cost of sterizing may exceed the cost of what is now designed as a discardable component, but for things which cannot be designed down to throwaway levels, surely sterilzation is still possible?

 

[janiedriver]

This was certainly interesting. Most, if not all brain surgeries are done with only a local anesthetic and the patients are awake. Sounds kind of scary but once the brain is entered there is no pain. The Doc's monitor what they are doing by speaking to patient or having them move a limb or when shaking, etc. stops. Orthopedics use toolboxes, so why not neurosurgeons! If it was the only way to repair me, I'd say "have at it"! Even though it was a long time ago, I like this post, Streetwise, if you're still around.