The story that happened to Jamie Hilton sounds like a medicine story from science fiction books. Her life was saved by a unique procedure during which doctors transplanted part of her skull into the abdominal cavity.
As Greg wrote two days later: Nick got to her first and we began to assess the situation. There was no blood. There were no broken bones. She was unconscious and not breathing. Nick shook Jamie a few times and she began to breathe again. The men quickly called an ambulance. Help appeared on the spot around 8:30. Jamie was rushed to the hospital by helicopter.
She was subjected to computed tomography on the spot and the decision was made to operate immediately – during the accident, Jamie sustained a serious head injury, as a result of which a swelling formed inside her skull, compressing her brain.
In order to save the woman, doctors had to cut out a fragment of Jamie’s skull, reducing the pressure of the swelling on the brain. The problem was that they couldn’t reinsert the cut. After removing the skull fragment, the swelling increased even more, and the healing process was scheduled for several weeks. Then the doctors came up with a brilliant idea – they decided to keep the cut bone in her abdominal cavity until it could be reinserted. In this way, the body supplied the bones with nutrients and prevented them from dying off.
Jamie’s body endured the surgery exceptionally well. She woke up very quickly after the procedure and regained strength. Less than two weeks after the accident, her condition had improved enough that the team of doctors caring for her decided that she could go home. To protect her injured head from injury, the woman had to wear a special helmet most of the time. While away from the hospital, Jamie underwent intensive rehabilitation and preparations for another operation.
42 days after the first surgery, Jamie had a second surgery. Doctors took the previously cut fragment of the skull from her abdominal cavity and transplanted it back to its original place. The bones were held together with thin pieces of titanium. The connection was so strong that Jamie no longer needed to wear a protective helmet.
Jamie is in great shape today and has recently returned to work. She claims to be the happiest woman on Earth right now.
Jamie Hilton’s abdomen after primary surgery.
Foot. http://jamielambhilton.blogspot.com/