A Manual of the Operations of Surgery: For the Use of Senior Students, House Surgeons, and Junior PractitionersBell, Joseph
Science
A Manual of the Operations of Surgery: For the Use of Senior Students, House Surgeons, and Junior Practitioners
Bell, Joseph
Surgery, Operative
"The patient having been rendered unconscious, and placed on his right
side, I thrust a bistoury into the tumour, over the situation of the
gluteal artery, and introduced my finger so as to prevent the blood from
flowing, except by occasional gushes, which showed what would have been
the effect of neglecting this precaution, while I searched for the
vessel. Finding it impossible to accomplish the object in this way, I
enlarged the wound by degrees sufficiently for the introduction of my
fingers in succession, until the whole hand was admitted into the
cavity, of which the orifice was still so small as to embrace the wrist
with a tightness that prevented any continuous hæmorrhage. Being now
able to explore the state of matters satisfactorily, I found that there
was a large mass of dense fibrinous coagulum firmly impacted into the
sciatic notch; and, not without using considerable force, succeeded in
disengaging the whole of this obstacle to reaching the artery, which
would have proved very serious if it had been allowed to exist after the
sac was laid open. The compact mass, which was afterwards found to be
not less than a pound in weight, having been thus detached, so that it
moved freely in the fluid contents of the sac, and the gentleman who
assisted me being prepared for the next step of the process, I ran my
knife rapidly through the whole extent of the tumour, turned out all
that was within it, and had the bleeding orifice instantly under
subjection by the pressure of a finger. Nothing then remained but to
pass a double thread under the vessel, and tie it on both sides of the
aperture."
The bleeding in this case was thus rendered comparatively trifling, and
the patient made a speedy and complete recovery. He returned home within
six weeks after the operation.[7]
2. In one case, at least, the gluteal artery has been tied with success
(for traumatic aneurism) just where it leaves the pelvis, without the
tumour being opened. This was in the practice of Professor Campbell of
Montreal. The operation was a very difficult one, and while possible
only in cases seen very early, and where the tumour is very small, does
not appear to have any advantage over the old method.
Cases of spontaneous aneurism of the gluteal artery should be treated by
ligature of the internal iliac. Steven's and Syme's cases of ligature
of the internal iliac were of this nature.
Manuals of operative surgery occasionally devote pages to the
description of special operations for the ligature of such arteries as
the sciatic, epigastric, circumflex ilii, and pudic. They do not require
ligature, except in cases of wound either of the vessels themselves or
their branches; and, according to the modern principles of surgery in
such cases, the ligature should be applied to the bleeding point, rather
than to the vessel at a distance above it.
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