Country Doctor Uses De Walt Drill to Save Boy

by Larry Jameson

On Friday, May 15, Nicholas Rossi fell off his bike while riding in a quiet cul de sac outside a friend's house in Maryborough, a town of 7000 people 170 kilometers northwest of Melbourne, Australia. Nicholas was not wearing a helmet and the impact of his head hitting the pavement knocked him temporarily unconscious.

His father, Michael Rossi, told The Australian newspaper, "He was a bit delirious at first, but then he stood up and said he was fine." Very similar to the Natasha Richardson skiing accident, Nicholas complained of a headache when he got home.

His mother took him to the district hospital where local General Practitioner Rob Carson was on duty. Dr. Carson examined Nicholas and noticed one pupil was larger than the other. The boy began to drift in and out of consciousness, and the doctor knew the signs pointed to internal bleeding in the brain.

He also knew that pressure was building inside the boy's brain that had to be relieved. But the little hospital had no neurological equipment to do the job. Dr. Carson found a De Walt drill in a maintenance closet and called Melbourne neurosurgeon David Wallace to talk him through the procedure.

Nicholas was transfused with fresh blood while blood was drained from his brain with a suction tube. Dr. Carson knew the procedure had worked when the boy's pupils became the same size. An hour later Nicholas was airlifted to Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital.

On May 19 the boy celebrated his 13th birthday as he was released from the hospital.

Rarely do we hear of such extraordinary feats by doctors to save lives. Michael Rossi said, "He saved our son's life. David Wallace told us he could not believe Rob Carson had the guts - and it does take guts - to drill into his head. He said it was the difference between a patient arriving at the hospital dead or alive."

The father also said, "Life can change in a minute; tell your kids to always wear a helmet."

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25509892-601,00.html