Doctor Uses Cordless Drill To Save Boy’s Life

Nicholas Rossi turned 13 yesterday, but if it wasn’t for the quick thinking of an emergency doctor the young Australian would have died from brain damage over the weekend.

On Friday evening, the youngster came off his bike in a Maryborough suburb. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, and when his head hit the pavement he was knocked unconscious for a few moments. Maryborough is a small town, two hours drive away from Melbourne, Nicholas’ worried parents took him to a nearby hospital where Dr Rob Carson, a local GP was on duty.

The quick thinking doc noticed that one of Nicholas’ pupils was larger than the other and correctly diagnosed internal bleeding in the brainball. As the blood flowed into Nicholas’ skull it applied more and more pressure to his brain. Hollywood actress Natasha Richardson died in March this year from the same condition, if internal bleeding is diagnosed in the head it must be treated quickly before massive brain damage is sustained.

[quote]Being in just a small town hospital Dr Carson had no access to the specialised neurosurgical equipment he required, so the resourceful doctor quickly ran to the hospital’s maintenance tool cabinet and grabbed an 18v cordless DeWalt combi-drill. The DeWalt cordless range is world renowned, little Nicholas couldn’t have wished for a finer power tool to open his skull with.

Nicholas’ father, Michael explained to The Australian newspaper what happened next.

“Dr Carson came over to us and said, ‘I am going to have to drill into (Nicholas) to relieve the pressure on the brain – we’ve got one shot at this and one shot only’,” he said.

“He drilled into my son’s head and we heard the suction,”

Judging by the accounts written in the Australian press Dr Carson must have used a 10mm drill bit, most likely a high speed steel bit and not a masonry one. Although the DeWalt combi has a superb hammer action, it is unlikely that setting was used on the boy’s bonce.

Once the 10mm diameter hole was created Dr Carson fitted a plastic tube in the hole above Nicholas’ ear and drained the blood clot saving the youngsters life and making it possible for him to celebrate his 13th birthday yesterday with a very impressive gash in the side of his head.

Some modern day quacks use a similar technique, known as trepanation to supposedly cure all manner of psychological disorders.

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