Hero doctor amputates man's arm while perched on gantry 100ft off the ground

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Dr James Hickman performs emergency op perched on narrow gantry
Medic had rushed to accident scene on his day off to perform procedure

By Chris Parsons
Updated: 05:55 EST, 3 February 2012

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A hero doctor managed to perform a delicate amputation on a man's crushed arm while perched on a gantry 100ft off the ground.

Brave James Hickman carried out the emergency operation on a 56-year-old man who got his arm caught in machinery near Langport, Somerset last week.

A team of 17 firefighters and 14 medical staff had tried to free the stricken worker from the factory feeding machine at the animal feeds site before the decision was made to amputate.

Head for heights: Dr James Hickman completed the amputation procedure while perched 100ft off the ground

Experienced voluntary medic Dr Hickman, who was on his day off when the accident happened, raced to the scene to carry out the procedure.

He stuck to his task to complete the emergency operation despite 'the range of dangers' presented by working so high off the ground.

Dr Hickman managed to sedate the machine worker and complete the procedure, with the man, who has not been named, now recovering at home.

The doctor said: 'His arm was trapped in a machine with a large screw that transferred grain or feed to one place or another.

'My role was initially to give him some strong sedation and pain relief to make him more comfortable.

'The fire and rescue service tried to extract his arm from the machinery but, over time, it became clear that it wasn’t going to be feasible within a reasonable time scale.

'His arm was very badly damaged and the only way of freeing him was amputation. It was a long way up on a gantry.

'The hospital provided a trauma team but there would be no real way for them to do it and I am experienced in operating in these difficult environments.

'It was challenging because it was a very narrow space and involved working at a height, which presents a range of dangers so I needed to be careful.

The injured man, who has not been named, was rushed to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton for treatment and is now recovering at home

'I’ve done a lot of training in pre-hospital medicine but it was one of the most challenging experiences medically because of the environment.

'The amputation was a simplified procedure to that normally carried out in hospital.

'It was aimed to free the patient and preserve as much as possible that the circumstances would allow so that he could go straight into surgery for further procedures and retain as much functionality in his arm as possible.'

The injured man, who was a worker at the site, is now recovering at home and The Health and Safety Executive has confirmed it is investigating the incident.

Dr Hickman hit national headlines last year as he was the first doctor on the scene of the catastrophic M5 crash in November where he was the medical commander.

Martyn Callow, of South Western Ambulance Service, said: 'James has a skill set above a paramedic and has his own personal protective clothing which means he can get to work straightaway.

'We dispatch the volunteers, provide training and equip their cars with sirens.

'They can play vital roles in emergencies and in this instance James anaesthetised the patient and carried out the amputation.'