This is the story of a brave man, a tragic event, and how Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport, the staff and the facility, plays a part in crafting a happy ending. For the purpose of publication his name is John, a worker at a local glass company. John, who does precision glass work, witnessed a friend and co-worker get trapped between a forklift full of falling sheets of glass and a wall of glass stacked just above waist high on the floor. One by one, the panels of glass nearly six feet in length toppled over on top of John's friend, pushing harder and harder on him as he stood with the middle of his back against the stack. "I didn't think he was going to make it," said John, noting that thousands of pounds were pressing on his friend. Wanting to help in some way, John wedged his arms between the glass and his friend to try to ease some of the pressure. Finally, another worker was able to move the forklift, and subsequently the glass, saving his friend's life. As the glass fell it scraped the man's back causing minor injuries, but major trouble for John. The falling glass hit his right arm with a force that cut to the bone and all the way down to his hand. "As soon as it happened I felt my arm being tugged," John said. "I was walking toward the phone and I could hear the blood splashing on the ground. I could tell right away that I was in trouble." Another co-worker applied a tourniquet to John's forearm, which John believes may have saved his life. He was rushed to Strong Memorial in Rochester. John went through the excruciating process of having the injury irrigated and stabilized and he was scheduled for surgery at Lakeside Hospital. Naming heroes Not a novice in his job, John definitely knew that what he was doing to save his friend could cost him dearly. There was no way he would be able to move the glass by himself. However, when he is given a chance to name heroes, Dr. Michael Leit and the staff at Lakeside Hospital are the first nominees to come out of his mouth. "Every time I talk to the guy (Dr. Leit) I kind of feel like I'm speaking to a rock star," John said. "I'm awestruck." Leit, head of Lakeside's orthopedic surgery unit, is a renowned surgeon who is also affiliated with Strong Hospital. The damage to John's arm included severe lacerations to eight flexor tendons, a median nerve and the radial artery. If John's injury had occurred a couple years ago, the prognosis probably wouldn't have been as good and the surgery wouldn't have been done at Lakeside. Much has changed, however. There is new technology in the field of nerve reattachment. Lakeside now has two doctors who can perform the type of surgery John needed, Dr. Leit and Dr. Tom Hansen; the hospital also has a nursing staff with the needed expertise (nurses Carol Hruby and Terry Wallace assisted Leit in this particular operation); and the experts can be assisted by a recently purchased operating microscope. Trish Martin, director of Nursing for Surgical Services, said the operating microscope, which was purchased last September for about $25,000, provides the doctors with the view they need to perform these difficult reattachment procedures. "What the microscope allows us to do is ... it allows us to reattach the nerves, arteries, veins, small tendons and ligaments," Martin said. Some of the new technology used during this procedure was implanted in John's arm. Dr. Leit used the NeuraGen Nerve Guide to help reconnect John's lacerated tendons. The nerve guide is an implantable device that works with the body's natural desire to regenerate nerves. The guide is a permeable tube made of a collagen that helps direct both sides of the lacerated tendon so they can grow back together. "We've had excellent success with this to date," Leit said. Previously doctors would have been tasked with reattaching the nerves on their own, which is no easy procedure. Leit said, without the Nerve Guard, repairing John's arm would have been like "cutting a Transatlantic cable and trying to reattach the tens of thousands of wires inside." Promising recovery The perfect ending has yet to be written, but it is definitely much happier than it could have been. John is discouraged after being out of work for several weeks. In the evenings the pain in his arm intensifies, making it a challenge to sleep. "I'm most concerned with getting my motility back," John said. He has no idea if he will be able to do the same work he has been doing, considering the dexterity his work requires. John isn't getting used to sitting on the couch either. How his arm progresses in the next five months will reveal how full his recovery will be. He has reason to be hopeful. "They say I'm way ahead of schedule for healing," John said. John believes he can feel tingling in his fingertips, but the experts warn him not to get too excited yet. Leit said he anticipates that John will witness improved motor skills and his hand will develop protection sensation. While the severity of the injury dampens John's spirit, his own personal optimism and his faith in those around him restores his confidence. "I knew this was going to be a long road," John said. "But it's great to know that you can get this caliber of care right here (at Lakeside)." About tendons A tendon is a strong, pliable band made up of living cells and connective tissue. Tendons connect muscle and bone. Flexor tendons (the ones lacerated in John's injury) are located in the hand and forearm and attach muscles related to bending or flexing fingers. These tendons begin just beyond the middle of the forearm. Dr. Michael E. Leit and some of his Strong colleagues recently received a grant from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand to research Gene Therapy in Peripheral Nerve Repair. "It was quite an honor for us to get this. Those who have received it before are giants in the field of hand surgery," Leit said. Check out the American Society for Surgery of the Hand's web site for more information on tendons: www.assh.org November 20, 2005 |
