Doctor Performs Amputation By Text Message 242
Peace Corps Online writes "Vascular surgeon David Nott performed a life-saving amputation on a boy in DR Congo following instructions sent by text message from a colleague in London. The boy's left arm had been ripped off and was badly infected and gangrenous; there were just 6in (15cm) of the boy's arm remaining, much of the surrounding muscle had died and there was little skin to fold over the wound. 'He had about two or three days to live when I saw him,' Nott said. Nott, volunteering with the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, knew he needed to perform a forequarter amputation requiring removal of the collar bone and shoulder blade and contacted Professor Meirion Thomas at London's Royal Marsden Hospital, who had performed the operation before. 'I texted him and he texted back step by step instructions on how to do it,' Nott said."
Costly (Score:4, Funny)
Must have been an expensive operation considering the price of text messaging today.
However, it should be noted (Score:5, Funny)
He intended to do a prostate exam, so it's not quite as good as it sounds.
How do you fit complex instructions in text? (Score:5, Funny)
Taken from the text logs:
MK UR FST CT ALNG CLR BON WTH STRLZD RZR K?
Things got a little dangerous when another text message came in from his wife mid operation.
U WANT LEG OR SHOLDER CUT FOR DINR?
Heh, but still some great work. It's tragic though that there's still a dearth of medical facilities in some countries and life-saving make-do operations like this are common. Kudos to Medicines Sans Frontiers for doing what our own governments should be doing.
GrpA
Soo... (Score:5, Funny)
What exactly _is_ the emoticon for 'cut off limb X'?
Amputation by text message? (Score:2, Funny)
See? That's why I don't want a cell phone.
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:5, Funny)
Text message will ensure that all the details get there
But none of the vowels.
I wonder what it sounded like... (Score:5, Funny)
MT: lol sup? tru tru... kk well ur guna need 2 do a 4 1/4 amp. req rm of the cola bone n shlda blde.
DN: yea nm nm...... ok so txt me how
MT: ok is he there now?
DN: no im at home
MT: txt me wen u get there k?
whole story (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Costly (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, and his words most have been really cutting.
Old News (Score:5, Funny)
Verizon takes an arm and leg for text messages every month, so amputation by text message isn't anything new.
Re:Soo... (Score:5, Funny)
this
one
It's quite simple, really.
Re:How do you fit complex instructions in text? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:4, Funny)
This reminds me of the commercial... (Score:4, Funny)
...where this guy's doctor was talking him through doing an appendectomy. "It's very straightforward."
Re:Amputation by text message? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:3, Funny)
I don't know where you're from, but I (in Germany) get a text message at the price of a minute of voice, and the first 50 in every month are included in the plan price.
In other countries it's much cheaper.
. ;) ;)
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Yeah. Other counties! Haven't you heard of them?
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Are you French or American?
Re:I wonder what it sounded like... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:5, Funny)
>>I long ago discovered my text-messaging device allows me to talk directly to another person through his or her text-messaging device. Amazing!
You mean those wireless devices which replaced the devices which ran over wires which were originally built to text messages to each other in morse?
Man... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:You want all the instructions before starting. (Score:5, Funny)
WASSUP CUT ARM STCH SKN ! BL0D. LOL
a b c d e f g
slashdot filter
Re:Costly (Score:3, Funny)
Yes if you remember the cost of retrieving data from the Hubble Space Telescope vs. the cost of sending a text message you'll see that it costs an arm.
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:2, Funny)
In other countries it's much cheaper.
. ;) ;)
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Yeah. Other counties! Haven't you heard of them?
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Are you French or American?
I don't know about France, but here in America we celebrate a diverse selection of counties.
Re:Soo... (Score:3, Funny)
I believe this one is clearer for the amputation of an arm:
8-@!-<
Or a Prince Albert gone horribly wrong.
Re:Soo... (Score:5, Funny)
o|-< + 8< 8< -> o,-<
Re:Haha, I. R. Funny! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:4, Funny)
cracka stole my arm.
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:4, Funny)
vwlls r vl. thts why thr r n vwlls n hbrw.
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:4, Funny)
he must be using one of those analog texting services.
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:5, Funny)
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:2, Funny)
Butt Fuck Friday?
Re:Soo... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:3, Funny)
"rite nw u slice of da 3rd tndn"
"wtch 4 da musl"
Re:Soo... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:3, Funny)
Re:interestingly the text message device could be (Score:3, Funny)
Re:You want all the instructions before starting. (Score:3, Funny)