Forequarter amputation
Encyclopedia
Forequarter amputation is amputation
of the arm, scapula
& clavicle
. It is usually performed as a last resort to remove a cancer, but decreasingly so as limb-sparing operations improve.
with Médecins Sans Frontières
performed a forequarter amputation to save the life of a 16 year old boy, whose arm had been severed by an injury. It is unclear whether the arm was bitten off by a hippopotamus
or destroyed by crossfire in the conflict. He was left with a gangrenous stump and had a few days to live. It made the news because his colleague, Professor Meirion Thomas, sent pointers via SMS text message. The text message included 10 steps to be followed and finished by saying, "Easy! Good luck."
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
of the arm, scapula
Scapula
In anatomy, the scapula , omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle ....
& clavicle
Clavicle
In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...
. It is usually performed as a last resort to remove a cancer, but decreasingly so as limb-sparing operations improve.
Surgical technique
The rhomboid muscles, trapezius, levator scapulae and latissimus dorsi are transected. The neurovascular bundle consisting of the axillary artery, axillary vein and brachial plexus is ligated and cut. The area of the chest left exposed is then normally covered with a split-thickness skin graft.In the news
In 2008, Mr. David Nott, a British vascular surgeon in the Democratic Republic of the CongoDemocratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
with Médecins Sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
performed a forequarter amputation to save the life of a 16 year old boy, whose arm had been severed by an injury. It is unclear whether the arm was bitten off by a hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
or destroyed by crossfire in the conflict. He was left with a gangrenous stump and had a few days to live. It made the news because his colleague, Professor Meirion Thomas, sent pointers via SMS text message. The text message included 10 steps to be followed and finished by saying, "Easy! Good luck."