The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-05-18
REPAIRING SEVERED ARTERIES.
A Surgical Feat That Was Long
Thought to De an ImpOssiblllty.

~ ASC un
! In the medical archives in the library
Of st. Petersburg is an account Of O
most wonderful operation performed by
Kamtsky, one of the greatest surgeons
of his time, an operation like which nc
other is record, d. POitinkOsh, ricl
| farmer, cattle raiser and reindeer farmer
| residing north OF St. Petersburg. suffer
| ed an injury TO the upper end of the right
| thigh, caused by being violently hurled
| from his sleigh, the latter having struck
a stump. The farmer in falling was jag
gcd by n snag which struck about two
inches below the field of the flank, caus
| ing torn. bleeding, gaping wound OF
about four ii.vhes in length, directly
| downward and in u line over the femoral
| artery tthc large artery which supplies
| the entire leg with blood, the latter YES
sci having been laid bare and severely
| bruised in the wreck, no large vessels
having been torn.
KamtSky, with the great wisdom Of 0
world of experience. wisely apprehended
| the possible results of this peculiar
wound, and for the next 24 hours he
| spent every minute Of his time, valuable
as it was, working with chemical fire,
molten substances and apparatus of d,
vers kinds until finally the object of his
| efforts was finished, small. hollow, elias
| tic, colorlcSs tube about five inches long,
! the composition of which is not recorded
consequently not known. In II hours aft.
| or his task was finished careful scrutiny
Of the injured limb revealed u slightly
BLUSH tint. scarcely noticeable, on the
| end of the great toe. This was the signal
for operation to the surgeon. and the
stockman WAS Immediately taken to the
| operating room, where in order to arrest
onc0,ning gancr, ne he was subjected to
an odd and experimental operation.
After the patient was unrestricted the
wound was uncovered. carefully cleaned
and the tissue carefully pushed and dis
sected away from the large artery. expos.
ing aboHt By inches of bruised vessel
ready to disirtegrate. 4 clamp WAS plac-
ed on the artery an inch above where
! normal sound tisSue began. Then he cut
the artery ut the junction of the bruised
and sound tissue. and, carefully drawing
the mysterious tube from its asPptic hid:
Ing place. he slipped the cut, round end
of the vessel into il about un inch, being
exceedingly careful while so doing to
keep the hollow tube collapsed and emp
ty SO as TO avoid all danger produced by
the entrance of air.
Repeating the same process ut the low
er end of the artery. he inserted the tube
into the end of the vessel about the same
distance as the upper end lay in the tube.
Then gently releasing the lower clamp,
he allowed the tube to fill with blood
from the portion Of the vessels below.
Then the final test came when he gently
and steadily moved the clamp above the
tube, thus establishing an unbrokep CHAN
mel which would carry the blood to It's
normal distribution. A slight pouching
of the tube at first caused some fear as
to whether It were strong enough to stand
the pressure Of the heart wave Of blood
rs tho latter pulsated through It's new
channel. This latter defect was over
come. however. when the tube was laid In
the bed Of the bruised cxsected portion
and the external support of the muscles
and tissues gave il sufficient strength to
overcome the pressure of the blood
stream. The wound was carefully closed
the parts set Mt rest and results awaited
In 3G hours the blue tint had disappeared
from the toe. and the color of the skin of
the leg changed from n pale ashy to Il
pink.
Two months afterward the patient was
attending his everyday duties as former
~. suffering no Inconvenience whatever
from his wound. Five years aftcrwartl
the patient died of acute pneumonia, and
post mortem examination of the scat of
the wound revealed n strong. FIRM plastic
composition tube Immediately In the
''situ" of the composition tube. tho latter
having been absorbed by the blood. not,
however. before the lyniphntirs had 50
encystcd it. j.i*t as bullet becomes en-,
cysted in the body after months Of time,
to the extent that when the tube was
eaten away ly the blooh this iibrous coat
answered the -" final plan of circulation.
Philadelphia Inquirer