A young man from Southern Styria had a thousand guardian angels a few days ago after an accident at work. He used a nail gun to drive a nail into his stomach that punctured his liver. After a special procedure, he could now leave the University Hospital for Child and Adolescent Surgery in a good mood.
“Pull him out!” was the first reaction of 16-year-old Tobias after he suddenly got a 6.5 centimeter long nail in his stomach while at work a few days ago. “But I was of course completely in shock and it was immediately clear to my colleague that that was not possible,” continues the South Styrian. “We then went to the boss’s office, the emergency doctor and the rescue service were called and I was eventually taken here to the clinic by helicopter,” says Tobias, describing the events more than a week ago after a nail came loose from a nail gun and seriously injured him as he was about to hand it to his colleague.
Iron intruder as a hazard
It was only a CT photo taken at the University Hospital for Child and Adolescent Surgery in Graz that it became clear how lucky Tobias was, because the nail had pierced the teenager’s abdominal wall and liver and the tip of the iron intruder was only a few millimeters away from the major abdominal vessels.
“Normally you would open the abdominal wall here and remove the nail. Due to the stable general condition of the patient, we decided to perform the procedure laparoscopically, that is, through the smallest openings in the abdominal cavity,” explains clinic director Holger Till. After the abdominal cavity was filled with gas, the nail came out on its own a little “It was hanging freely in the abdomen, so to speak, and we were able to pull it out without any problem,” Till said.
Fortunately no further injuries
“Fortunately,” adds his colleague, pediatric surgeon Eva Amerstorfer, “we were able to rule out further injuries. In total, the entire procedure only took more than half an hour.” He was then cared for by Hanna Kleinschuster, department manager of the nursing team, and her team: “We were all very happy that he recovered so quickly and well and that the entire story ended so well!”
And Tobias is also more than satisfied and was able to leave the clinic again on Thursday: “Everyone told me that I had 1000 guardian angels, but I also know that the team here has really done a great job.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
