WOUNDED HEART SEWN UP.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11248, 11 April 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

WOUNDED HEART SEWN UP.

REMARKABLE OPERATION. IJERLTN, February 25. As astounding surgical operation is reported by Professor Sultan m the German Medical 'Weekly. The heart of a person who attempted suicide and fired a bullet into it was taken out and. sewn up I and the patient discharged from hospital six weeks later absolutely cured. Professor Sultan gives the following account of the operation, which is believed to be without parallel : — "On June 23 last, the patient, a cabinet maker, 38 years old, fired at h'm heart with a. small calibre revolver. ""Examination showed /v SHiitllNjjowder-blackened hole m. the heart, through which hardly any blood issued. Late m. the evening of the second day, 30 hours after the shooting, we decided to operate, and made an incision m the sternum. "As soon as the cardial.sac was opened a great quantity of dark blood oozed, forth. The heart, lying quite free for its entire length, was carefully lifted up. Upon the frontal side appeared only a small extravasation the size of a lentil, but as soon as the heart was turned to* wards the right there appeared a, small wound with ragged edges about half a centrimetre m diameter. With three stitches of. fine silk thread the edges of the wound were neatly- joined, while for safety sake another seam wa« made at the extravastion.

" "To hold the strongly 1 beating heart while sewing was m progress required considerable force. Every time the heart was turned to the right m order to make a stitch the pulse was diminished until it was scarcely audible, but when the heart was turned round the beats again became normal. After all the blood had been drained from.,the sac the entrance-hole of the bullet became visible, and it was immediately closed by catgut. When the chest incision had been repaired, breathing and pulse became entirely normal."