Australian MD saves boy's life with household drill

Here's a great story of performing under pressure: A doctor in rural Australia used a household drill to bore into a skull of a young boy with a head injury, to drain a potentially-lethal blood clot. The local hospital did not have neurosurgical tools or a neurosurgeon on site, and the young boy was in trouble.

According to details on the BBC News website, Dr Rob Carson performed the procedure on Nicholas Rossi, 13, after the boy fell off his bike and hit his head. The boy was initially fine, but in the classic pattern of an epidural hematoma, later began slipping into unconsciousness.

The doctor had never attempted the surgery before, and was talked through the operation over the telephone by a neurosurgeon.

The boy's father said the doctor's improvisation had saved his son's life.

Dr Carson told reporters: "It's not a personal achievement, it is just a part of the job."

After the successful procedure, the boy was airlifted to a larger hospital in Melbourne, Australia and released on Tuesday - his 13th birthday.


Well done, Dr. Carson!