Jugular injury

The 21-year-old man was working 25 feet up a tree when he slipped and inflicted deep wounds to his neck and arm with a chainsaw. The man had blood spurting from the wound as he dangled in mid air until his colleague managed to lower him to the ground. He was still conscious when paramedics arrived and asked them if he was going to die – but thanks to their expertise he survived. The paramedics managed to staunch the bleeding until the Helimedix team could arrive. The Magpas team ventilated the patient before packing his injuries with Celox – a specialist gauze used to treat troops in Afghanistan who have suffered major injuries. And it was thanks to this ‘miracle’ dressing that the man was stabilised and the bleeding stopped so he could be airlifted to hospital. He was flown to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge where he underwent immediate surgery to repair the blood vessels in his neck. Fortunately he came through the surgery and was well enough to be transferred to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London, for nerve repair to his left arm the following day. Mr Lockier added: “Without those paramedics I am certain he would have died. I can’t praise them enough.