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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Household drill saves boy's life | Household drill saves boy's life |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| A doctor in Australia used a household drill to bore into a boy's skull and drain it of blood clots as his local hospital lacked the required tools. | A doctor in Australia used a household drill to bore into a boy's skull and drain it of blood clots as his local hospital lacked the required tools. |
| Dr Rob Carson performed the procedure on Nicholas Rossi, 13, after the boy fell off his bike and hit his head. | Dr Rob Carson performed the procedure on Nicholas Rossi, 13, after the boy fell off his bike and hit his head. |
| The doctor had never attempted the surgery before, and had to be talked through the operation by a Melbourne neurosurgeon. | The doctor had never attempted the surgery before, and had to be talked through the operation by a Melbourne neurosurgeon. |
| The boy's father said the doctor's improvisation had saved his son's life. | The boy's father said the doctor's improvisation had saved his son's life. |
| But Dr Carson told reporters: "It's not a personal achievement, it is just a part of the job." | But Dr Carson told reporters: "It's not a personal achievement, it is just a part of the job." |
| One chance | One chance |
| Immediately after his fall, Nicholas Rossi appeared stable. | Immediately after his fall, Nicholas Rossi appeared stable. |
| But his mother, a nurse, noticed a bump on his head and decided to take him to the local hospital. | But his mother, a nurse, noticed a bump on his head and decided to take him to the local hospital. |
| When some blood came out after we'd gone through the skull, we realised we'd made the right decision Dr David Tynan | |
| By the time he got there, he was slipping in and out of consciousness. | |
| "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,"' the boy's father, Michael Rossi told journalists. | "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,"' the boy's father, Michael Rossi told journalists. |
| The small hospital had no special tools, so the team had to use a household drill. | The small hospital had no special tools, so the team had to use a household drill. |
| Dr Carson called the neurosurgeon who talked him through the procedure by telling him where to aim the drill and how deep to go. | Dr Carson called the neurosurgeon who talked him through the procedure by telling him where to aim the drill and how deep to go. |
| "All of a sudden the emergency ward was turned into an operating theatre," Michael Rossi told Fairfax Radio. | |
| "We didn't see anything, but we heard the noises, heard the drill. It was just one of those surreal experiences." | |
| Dr David Tynan, an anaesthetist who helped Dr Carson, said the procedure took about a minute. | |
| "It was pretty scary," he told ABC. | |
| "You obviously worry, [are] you pushing hard enough or pushing too hard, but then when some blood came out after we'd gone through the skull, we realised we'd made the right decision." | |
| A tube was used to drain the blood while Nicholas Rossi was given fresh blood through his arm, the Australian reported. | |
| After the surgery, the boy was airlifted to a larger hospital in Melbourne and released on Tuesday - his 13th birthday. |