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We breed 'em tough in Oz. No need for all this new fangled namby pamby surgical gear. Bleeding on the brain? Head for the tool shed & hand me a Black & Decker (or in this case a De Walt).
Doctor saves boy's life with power drill - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Doctor saves boy's life with power drill
A country doctor is being hailed as a life-saver after using a power drill to bore into a 12-year-old boy's skull.
Nicholas Rossi suffered bleeding to the brain and began drifting in and out of consciousness after falling from his bike near a friend's home in Maryborough, Victoria.
After realising the local hospital did not have the necessary surgical equipment, Dr Rob Carson used a drill from the maintenance room to bore into the boy's skull and relieve the pressure on his brain.
He was given advice on the phone by leading Melbourne neurosurgeon David Wallace.
Michael Rossi says his son would have died if Dr Carson had not acted quickly.
"He came out and he saw us and he said he's only got one shot at it, and one shot only," he said. "[He said] 'I'm going to drill into Nick's head and try and relieve the pressure'."
"And he said if we can relieve the pressure he's going to reach Melbourne via air ambulance in a lot better shape than if we don't try something.
"Dr Carson told me all he can remember saying is, 'Get the Black and Decker'."
Anaesthetist David Tynan assisted with the procedure and says Dr Carson saved the boy's life.
"He seems to have made a marvellous recovery," he said.
"It was obvious the next morning [when] they were able to take him off the ventilator and in fact by Sunday he was up and walking around."
Mr Rossi said Mr Wallace said it was a life-saving procedure.
"If they hadn't done that it was the difference between a patient arriving dead or alive. It just pointed out to us just how vital that procedure [was] that was done in Maryborough," he said.
He said the case was similar to the death of Liam Neeson's wife Natasha Richardson.
"Mr Wallace the neurosurgeon basically said it was a classic case of the movie actress - Liam Neeson's wife," he said.
"You think nothing's wrong but she had a bleed and you go unconscious and don't wake up."
Nicholas Rossi has made a full recovery after the procedure and celebrated his 13th birthday yesterday.
A country doctor is being hailed as a life-saver after using a power drill to bore into a 12-year-old boy's skull.
Nicholas Rossi suffered bleeding to the brain and began drifting in and out of consciousness after falling from his bike near a friend's home in Maryborough, Victoria.
After realising the local hospital did not have the necessary surgical equipment, Dr Rob Carson used a drill from the maintenance room to bore into the boy's skull and relieve the pressure on his brain.
He was given advice on the phone by leading Melbourne neurosurgeon David Wallace.
Michael Rossi says his son would have died if Dr Carson had not acted quickly.
"He came out and he saw us and he said he's only got one shot at it, and one shot only," he said. "[He said] 'I'm going to drill into Nick's head and try and relieve the pressure'."
"And he said if we can relieve the pressure he's going to reach Melbourne via air ambulance in a lot better shape than if we don't try something.
"Dr Carson told me all he can remember saying is, 'Get the Black and Decker'."
Anaesthetist David Tynan assisted with the procedure and says Dr Carson saved the boy's life.
"He seems to have made a marvellous recovery," he said.
"It was obvious the next morning [when] they were able to take him off the ventilator and in fact by Sunday he was up and walking around."
Mr Rossi said Mr Wallace said it was a life-saving procedure.
"If they hadn't done that it was the difference between a patient arriving dead or alive. It just pointed out to us just how vital that procedure [was] that was done in Maryborough," he said.
He said the case was similar to the death of Liam Neeson's wife Natasha Richardson.
"Mr Wallace the neurosurgeon basically said it was a classic case of the movie actress - Liam Neeson's wife," he said.
"You think nothing's wrong but she had a bleed and you go unconscious and don't wake up."
Nicholas Rossi has made a full recovery after the procedure and celebrated his 13th birthday yesterday.
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