'after heavy machinery rips off all of the skin'
Carlos Mariotti, 42, had his left hand ripped off in horrific work accident
Doctors decided to bury it inside his abdomen rather than amputate
They then covered it with a flap of protective skin - a soft tissue pouch
The man from Orleans, Brazil, must keep it there for six weeks
Continue story after the cut ...
Canny surgeons have used a clever technique to save a Brazilian man's hand from being amputated by putting it inside a pocket in his belly.
Doctors
decided to bury Carlos Mariotti's left hand inside his abdomen and
cover it with a flap of protective skin after the machine production
operator suffered a horrific work accident that ripped off all the skin
on his hand.
The
42-year-old, who lives in Orleans in the south of Brazil, must now keep
his damaged mitt tucked deep in the soft tissue pouch for six weeks.
Orthopaedic
and traumatology doctor Boris Brandao, who performed the rare
operation, explained: 'Mr Marriott suffered a de-gloving injury which
left him with very little skin on the palm and back of his hand,
exposing the bones and tendons inside.
'This was a very large and delicate injury and the only place we could fit the whole hand was in the abdomen.
'Without this procedure, there would be a high risk of infection and the tissue and tendons would rot away.'
Mr Mariotti, who remains hospitalised in the Santa OtÃlia Hospital, said he is a very lucky man.
'I
still get very emotional when I think about the accident. But it was
only when doctors told me I could lose my hand that I realised the
gravity of the situation.
The 42-year-old, who lives in Orleans
in the south of Brazil, must now keep his damaged mitt tucked deep in
the soft tissue pouch for six weeks
'When
I woke up from the operation I didn't know whether it was still there. I
couldn't believe it when they said they had tucked my hand inside me.'
Heavy
bandages around the mid-size man's midriff keeps his arm firmly in
place. But doctors have warned that he must move his mangled extremity
'gently around to avoid the hand becoming stiff.'
Cringing
slightly, he said: 'It's a really weird feeling trying to wiggle my
fingers inside my body and creepy seeing my tummy protrude slightly as I
prod around.'
The
right-handed factory worker lost two fingers - his index and middle
fingers - in the accident but said: 'I am just so grateful because at
least I will still be able to hold a fork, grip a steering wheel and
dress myself without any help.'
Mr
Mariotti was operating a machine that manufactures coils at the
Zettapack Plastic factory, close to where he lives, when his hand was
dragged into the heavy duty equipment.
He was alone on the factory floor at the time and recalls feeling an 'indescribable pain' as the machine chewed up his limb.
The
experienced factory worker, who recently re-joined the company after
leaving in 2001 said: 'It was like watching a movie play out in front of
me. I saw the machine pulling my hand in and couldn't do anything about
it.'
When
colleagues failed to respond to his screams, the desperate worker took
drastic action, wrenching his hand out of the machine himself.
Workmates came running seconds later and tried to save the bloodied and tattered appendage by wrapping it tightly in bandages.
Dr
Brandao said medics decided to perform an immediate 'salvaging'
procedure because 'if we can save a hand we always try to find a way to
do so'.
He
explained: 'In order to keep the wounded hand alive, we opened the
abdomen, took off the skin and put it inside the cavity to protect it.
'The
patient's hand must stay in the pocket for about 42 days to ensure it
develops new tissue and tendon material which is capable of receiving a
replanted skin graft.'
This is not the first time doctors
have implanted or attached body parts in odd places. American medics at
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland, successfully grew Sherrie Walter's
ear on her arm after she developed bassal cell carcinoma in 2008
Weekly check-ups will monitor the progress of the treatment and whether the hand is on the mend.
However, the doctor warned: 'Mr Mariotti will suffer impaired function as he will not get all the movement back in his hand.
'But
he will have a working hand and will be able to do the pincer movement.
At least this is a better quality of life compared to having an
amputated hand,' he observed.
Celebrating
the fact, he can move his fingers inside his body, Mr Mariotti laughed:
'Now I just have to remember to keep my hand in 'my pocket'.
'Doctors
have already drummed it in to me that pulling it out would be
catastrophic and I'm making sure I don't do that,' he said.
This is not the first time doctors have implanted or attached body parts in odd places.
In 2009, former Idaho beauty queen,
Jamie Hilton had part of her skull sewn into her abdomen to keep it
sterile and nourished while brain swelling from a head injury subsided
American
medics at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland, successfully grew Sherrie
Walter's ear on her arm after she developed bassal cell carcinoma in
2008.
In
2009, former Idaho beauty queen, Jamie Hilton had part of her skull
sewn into her abdomen to keep it sterile and nourished while brain
swelling from a head injury subsided.
And
in 2010 Chinese surgeons planted nine-year-old Ming Li's severed hand
onto her right leg as it was too badly damaged to put back on her arm
after it was run over in a tractor accident.
Three months later the child's hand was successfully reattached.
And in 2010 Chinese surgeons planted
nine-year-old Ming Li's severed hand onto her right leg as it was too
badly damaged to put back on her arm after it was run over in a tractor
accident. Three months later the child's hand was successfully
reattached.
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