0:00:05 > 0:00:07With mind-boggling medical mishaps
0:00:07 > 0:00:10and the quirkiest of casualties.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13My boyfriend dropped a turnip on me foot.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17This is Bizarre ER.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21And for the first time we've camped out in not one but two British
0:00:21 > 0:00:27hospitals, Northampton General and Bradford Royal Infirmary.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Hello.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33To bring you the curious cases that are all in a day's work for the stoic staff.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Can you see your pound coin there?
0:00:35 > 0:00:38But which have to be seen to be believed.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Plus we've scoured the planet for the people who, thanks
0:00:43 > 0:00:51to amazing medics, have survived the most extraordinary accidents and emergencies known to man.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Nobody believes they're going to get the Black Death.
0:00:55 > 0:01:02So scrub up, sit back and enjoy the sometimes silly, often odd, but never dull world of Bizarre ER.
0:01:02 > 0:01:08- All I can say is thank heavens for the NHS.- Thank you.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27Coming up tonight - a cute casualty refuses to let go of the Lego.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30We meet the girl who's darned her own digit
0:01:30 > 0:01:35and the bizarre tale of how, after a fast and furious fall,
0:01:35 > 0:01:40a skate fanatic's life was saved when his skull was put into deep freeze.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43You really put peas in a freezer not your skull.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57But first we're heading to Bradford where it's Halloween and Janine Woodcock has arrived at A&E looking
0:01:57 > 0:02:04a fright without the aid of masks or make-up thanks to a massive allergic reaction.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I want to scratch it all off like that.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13It's like little blisters that pop and weep.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Bizarrely, Janine's freaky features
0:02:16 > 0:02:21aren't a reaction to pets or peanuts but to something suitably spooky.
0:02:24 > 0:02:31I've an allergy to a few things and latex were one of them, but it just
0:02:31 > 0:02:35never entered my head, never entered my head that the mask was latex.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Janine popped it on for all of a minute, woke the next morning
0:02:38 > 0:02:42thinking nothing about it and hence that's what you see.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46This year I won't need to wear it I'll just send Janine to the door.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53The couple might be keeping their Halloween spirits up
0:02:53 > 0:02:56but Janine's conditions is potentially life threatening.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01Her immune system is defending the body against the chemicals in latex
0:03:01 > 0:03:05but it's overreacting, flooding her system with far too many antibodies.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10Your chest looks quite red - is that normal for you or has all this come up as well?
0:03:10 > 0:03:15Dr Gemma Lee gives Janine a thorough examination.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Nice deep breaths in for me.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22When somebody has an allergic reaction and they usually get a lot of water trapped everywhere,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25it's in her eyes and face and that's what makes her face look so puffy.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30The worst thing that could happen is she could go into full blown anaphylaxis.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33The throat can swell up, it can affect her breathing,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36it affects the cardiovascular system so she can drop her blood pressure.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Relax your hand as best you can.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Although it doesn't look like Janine needs any more pumping up,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46doctors flush fluid medication into her bloodstream fast.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50She's being given steroids to help to reduce the swelling.
0:03:50 > 0:03:56Janine needs careful monitoring to ensure her Halloween horror story has a happy ending.
0:03:56 > 0:04:02So Dr Lee admits her onto a ward, but even up there the spooky spirit prevails.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06They put us in bed 13 on purpose.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09It's all pre-planned before we came up, wasn't it?
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Despite the unlucky 13, the fast acting drips seems to be reversing the spell.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21I feel a lot better now. When I first arrived it felt like pressure on
0:04:21 > 0:04:25the top of my head as though it were like pushing my eyes shut,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29whereas now I still feel very swollen but that pressure's gone.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33At least I can open my eyes and see everybody.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Janine settles in for the night,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39as it will be well past the witching hour before doctors discharge her.
0:04:40 > 0:04:47It's two days after fright night and Janine's back home, but still haunted by the events of Halloween.
0:04:49 > 0:04:56I'm feeling a lot better, still sore, but a lot better than what I did a couple of days ago.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57I hate that mask.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00I just had that on just a couple of minutes,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04could you imagine if I'd had it on all night for a party.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08I definitely don't want to see that mask again.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21When it comes to accidents on Halloween, be afraid, very afraid.
0:05:21 > 0:05:27Tiny trick or treaters are prone to trips,
0:05:27 > 0:05:32torching, or taking one in the eye.
0:05:32 > 0:05:38The source of most Halloween horror is the humble pumpkin -
0:05:38 > 0:05:41responsible for about a third of all hand injuries.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46Carving out that grin can lead to ghastly gashes and severed tendons,
0:05:46 > 0:05:51while many a blood-curdling burn is sustained while trying to light the jack-o'-lantern.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57But fret not, gentle viewer, about the more traditional terrors that haunt Halloween.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02Many of these monstrous myths may well have their basis in medical fact.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Werewolf behaviour can be put down to a range of conditions
0:06:07 > 0:06:13including Lupus and Porphyria, which can cause scarring from light.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18And then there's Hypertrichosis which causes large amounts of hair to grow in areas
0:06:18 > 0:06:21that are normally hair free, such as the face and the back.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23I need more shampoo!
0:06:23 > 0:06:27And it's thought that vampires were most likely rabies sufferers
0:06:27 > 0:06:31as symptoms include disrupted sleep patterns,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33hyper-sexuality,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37frothing at the mouth, sensitivity to light
0:06:37 > 0:06:40and a desire to bite other people.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42Not now, Nigel, I've got a headache.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51Next we're heading to Northampton General where most people tend to leave with stitches,
0:06:51 > 0:06:59but art student Emily has arrived at A&E with not just a stitch in her finger, but the needle as well.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01She's just always doing clumsy things like this.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Emily was hard at work on her sewing machine whipping up a textile
0:07:05 > 0:07:12masterpiece when she looked away for a split second and the needle went straight through her nail.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14So what's the plan for this painful puncture?
0:07:14 > 0:07:20I'm going for an X-ray to see that it hasn't gone through my bone and then they just pull it out.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23- Or chop your finger off.- Yeah!
0:07:23 > 0:07:29It's highly unlikely Emily's heading for an amputation, but the injury could have serious consequences.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33If she's sewn through the bone, she'll need surgery.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38The needle is going straight through the tip of her finger there
0:07:38 > 0:07:42and it's just missed the tip of the bone there
0:07:42 > 0:07:44so she was fairly lucky.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49So it's good news but there's still the small matter of getting the needle out.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Can you feel the end of your finger?
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Yeah...
0:07:53 > 0:07:54You're not sure.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58I don't think the doctor meant can you actually feel your finger.
0:07:58 > 0:08:05Right, well, what we need to do is we'll numb the finger, OK, and then we'll pull it out.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08As long as it's quick I think it'll be OK.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11To numb the finger,
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Emily now has to endure two more needles in her punctured pointer.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18That's the worst bit done.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Nurse Maria's brought in to help and the pair practise
0:08:25 > 0:08:28their synchronised putting gloves on routine
0:08:28 > 0:08:31before getting to grips with the needle.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36- That's it.- First, it needs to be trimmed with some wire cutters.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41- Oh, where did it go? - The nasty needle's then removed in one quick and easy motion.
0:08:41 > 0:08:47- There we go. - And all Emily's left with is a numb knuckle and a tiny scratch.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52Press on it nice and firmly for a second, just to stop it from bleeding. All right?
0:08:53 > 0:08:58With her damaged digit safely wrapped up the girls head back to college,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01remembering always to keep an eye on the sewing machine and not a finger.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Now boys and their toys often can't be parted, but our next patient
0:09:10 > 0:09:15in Northampton has found a novel way to cling to his plaything.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20Four-year-old Oliver has come to A&E with his mum and gran after putting something where he shouldn't.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24I was in the kitchen, he was in the lounge and he just came in and said,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27"Nanny, I've got something stuck up
0:09:27 > 0:09:31"my nose, I put a bit of Lego up there." You can see how big it is.
0:09:33 > 0:09:39Hoping to rid Ollie of his nasal nuisance is an emergency nurse practitioner.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41What happened to you?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- Oliver's managed to get some Lego stuck up his nose today.- Oh, dear.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Hard and green things up your nose aren't usually a problem,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51but drawn into the lung this piece of Lego could be fatal.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56After a brief inspection, nurse Irena suggests a bizarre solution.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Oliver, Mummy will give you a special kiss, OK?
0:09:59 > 0:10:03With Teddy looking on, Mum Lisa is going to blow hard in Olly's mouth
0:10:03 > 0:10:06in the hope that this will blast the bung out of his beak.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09But things don't go quite to plan.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Open your mouth.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Did it shoot out by any chance?
0:10:14 > 0:10:18No, I don't think it did, but you've cleared it out a little bit.
0:10:18 > 0:10:25Lisa's best efforts haven't loosened the Lego, so Irene puts a call into the ear, nose and throat specialists
0:10:25 > 0:10:29while Mum takes Olly to task over her recent snot facial.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32I didn't realise I'd have to blow into your mouth
0:10:32 > 0:10:36and get covered in slobber and snot - it wasn't very nice.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46The Simpsons swing over to ENT where specialists Dr Singh and Dr Salvia are ready and waiting.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50But the instrument they plan to use has an unsettling name.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53We will use a crocodile.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Not a real crocodile. Look at that, that's called a crocodile.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59It's small and it can go easily into deep spaces.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00OK.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03- All right, are you ready? - That's it, just close your eyes.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Squeeze hard on your teddy.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Don't move.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11- Ow!- No, don't do that.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13I know.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Can we try it only once again?
0:11:19 > 0:11:26The patient's clearly unhappy being probed by a crocodile, so the doctors have to try a new approach.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28All right, that's fine.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32The second option now is to actually remove it under anaesthesia.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34It doesn't have to be done today.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37We'll give you an appointment, OK.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41With a temporary reprieve, Olly can't get away fast enough.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Say bye-bye.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44Let's get out.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Let's get out now!
0:11:47 > 0:11:52Five days later and Olly's back for operation Lego removal, stage two.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Olly, Mum and trusty Teddy head for theatre.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04To avoid any further tears or trauma Olly's put under general anaesthetic
0:12:04 > 0:12:07before the team get to work extracting his bizarre bogey.
0:12:07 > 0:12:14They carefully clear the way by sucking out the snot before going in to retrieve the tiny toy intruder.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20There's one last nosey up the nasal passages with an endoscope to check
0:12:20 > 0:12:27Olly hasn't stashed anything else up his snout before he's given the all clear and wheeled off to recovery.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Hello, buddy, you OK?
0:12:35 > 0:12:37You were really brave.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39It's out now.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40It's out now, is it?
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Did they save it for you?
0:12:43 > 0:12:47- Oh.- Ow, ow, ow.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Despite his anaesthetic hangover,
0:12:51 > 0:12:56it's not long before Olly's made a complete recovery and he's home with Mum and Dad
0:12:56 > 0:12:58and straight back on the bricks.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02And pride of place on Olly's toy box is the new Simpson family heirloom -
0:13:02 > 0:13:06destined to become a source of much embarrassment in years to come.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10When he gets married, that'll be part of the centrepiece.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12You've got to be kidding me.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Bizarre cases aren't confined to Britain
0:13:22 > 0:13:28and this series, we've scoured the globe to bring you the world's most extraordinary emergencies.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Over in America, doctors saved the life of a skater boy by resorting
0:13:35 > 0:13:41to a surreal and radical remedy when they sent his skull subzero.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Kyle Johnson used to love skateboarding.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50The last time I was on it it nearly killed me.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Kyle catapulted into the concrete and smashed his head like an egg.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59It shattered completely into more than 25 to 30 pieces.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Bizarrely doctors kept his cranky skull in the deep freeze.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08I've never been in a freezer before but unfortunately my skull has.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14This is the adrenalin fuelled art of longboarding.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Snowboarder Kyle got his summer time kicks on
0:14:17 > 0:14:20the steep hills of his hometown, north of Salt Lake City in Utah.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23I've done this hill quite a bit.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26It is a little aggressive.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31I wanted to feel some adrenalin so I found it more or less, obviously.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Kyle's buddy, Mike, had second thoughts.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38I've never done this hill, it's just too much for me.
0:14:38 > 0:14:45Although Kyle egged him on, Mike wouldn't crack, so Mike watched Kyle crash.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50He lost control about halfway down and that's when the board just flew out from underneath him.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55Carving a corner at 25mph, Kyle was catapulted backwards.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02With no helmet, all his falling weight smashed the back of his head into the road.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06That's about where he fell. He had blood just pouring out of his head.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Blood all out from your ear.
0:15:09 > 0:15:15The emergency services were scrambled and paramedics found Kyle had a crumbled cranium.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Round the back of his head I felt a huge soft spot from ear to ear.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- He was in and out of consciousness. - Blood coming out of both ears.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26We started some IVs. As the call progressed he became more and more unconscious.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Not one memory of any of this.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Although whisked off to hospital, Kyle's condition went rapidly downhill.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42He arrived at the ER in a coma and Dr Welling assessed his brain activity score.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45The best you can get is a 15.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Patients who are dead get a score of three.
0:15:49 > 0:15:50Kyle's score was six.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Kyle was breathing but completely unresponsive, so when his parents
0:15:54 > 0:15:59saw him swollen and unmoving they had to prepare for the worst.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02I didn't know if he was alive or dead when they took us in there
0:16:02 > 0:16:05because it just didn't look like Kyle to me.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Lots of tubes coming out of his mouth, machines everywhere.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13Kyle was in a very deep coma and near death.
0:16:13 > 0:16:20A CAT scan showed that his skull was so broken up Kyle had gone soft in the head.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24It was similar to if you were to drop a hard-boiled egg on a hard surface.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26It just shattered completely.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Kyle's brain was bleeding and swelling uncontrollably.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33The rising skull pressure risked permanent brain damage.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40Despite medication, overnight Kyle's cranial pressure rose to six times normal.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Something had to give.
0:16:42 > 0:16:47We were very concerned about him either dying or being left in a vegetative state.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51The only option to reduce pressure was to make room
0:16:51 > 0:16:56for Kyle's swelling brain, so large chunks of his skull had to come off.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00There was nearly the entire side of the skull
0:17:00 > 0:17:05bigger than what your hand would cover on both sides.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08But Kyle's egg head skull came off in puzzle pieces.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Surgical staff had a real headache.
0:17:11 > 0:17:18It took us about 40 minutes to put those pieces back together again with little plates and screws.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22After the jigsaw, doctors had a madcap scheme to keep
0:17:22 > 0:17:27Kyle's skullcap fresh for later - bung it in the freezer.
0:17:27 > 0:17:33That jigsaw puzzle was then put in a medical freezer for future reimplantation.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37So I volunteered my own freezer. I was always worried they'd lose him or something.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Yes, she said, "Put him in my freezer cos I know I'll take good care of him."
0:17:41 > 0:17:45You really put peas in a freezer not your skull.
0:17:45 > 0:17:51The op had left Kyle looking like Frankenstein's monster, but it had worked.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54With the brain free to swell, the dangerous pressure was down.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59But what damage had been done to Kyle's tortured brain?
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Would he ever wake up?
0:18:01 > 0:18:04How severely brain damaged might he be?
0:18:04 > 0:18:10I wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to talk again or walk again or interact with his family.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12We just don't know if he'll be able to see.
0:18:12 > 0:18:13We don't know if he'll be able to hear.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18We don't know if he'll be able to move his body, his limbs and his legs.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21All they could do was wait and hope.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28Over the weeks it took for the swelling to subside, the weird shape of his skull started to show.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32You could see where his skull was missing and the recesses to where
0:18:32 > 0:18:34his skin was resting on the brain itself.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38You could actually touch the skin and feel the patient's brain.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43All Dr Welling could do was re-fit Kyle's skull from the freezer.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49But were the frozen fragments past their use-by date and fit only for the dog?
0:18:49 > 0:18:55After two weeks in the freezer the bone flap is perfectly fine to be put back into the patient's head.
0:18:55 > 0:19:02Taking things apart is easy but as Humpty Dumpty knows, the tricky bit is putting them back together again.
0:19:02 > 0:19:09It took 10 metal plates, 20 screws and 67 staples to hold the skull bones together.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14The back of my head is completely flat and it actually caves in a little bit even.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17I can still feel some of the fractures in my skull.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21I can feel the screws that they put in to put the skull back together.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30Dr Welling's team had put Kyle Johnson back together again.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32His recovery truly has been miraculous.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38Doctor's orders keep Kyle off the ski slopes for now but it won't be for long.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43The day I get back on the snowboard will be a big day for me, putting the accident definitely behind me.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47It's just phenomenal what has happened to him. It is a miracle.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49We can look at him now and go, "Kyle's here. Kyle's home."
0:19:49 > 0:19:52It's a great, great feeling.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02It may lack size and horse power but the lowly skateboard can be
0:20:02 > 0:20:05just as dangerous as fellow four-wheel drives.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10Each year over 30,000 skater boys end up in A&E.
0:20:10 > 0:20:17Broken wrists, facial foul-ups, and mangled ankles are the most common mishaps.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20About 3% of skaters kick flip into critical condition,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24suffering skull fractures, head injuries or concussion.
0:20:24 > 0:20:30- That's sick, dude.- It's not only sidewalk surfers whose attempt at skating skill can make them ill.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Nearly 11,000 people are spliced on the ice by the fearsome footwear.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40More than 600 fail to spot ice rink barriers and a massive 12,000
0:20:40 > 0:20:46double axel down to A&E as a result of sprains, strains and tumbles on the ice itself.
0:20:46 > 0:20:52Be careful not to skate on thin ice lest you share the frosty fate of Ani Zoltany.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55The young Hungarian was practising her moves on Lake Velence
0:20:55 > 0:21:00when the ice cracked beneath her and she plunged into the wintery waters.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04When frostbite froze her fingers, the only way she could keep
0:21:04 > 0:21:08her head above water was by holding onto the ice with her teeth.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Thankfully she was saved by a passer-by who spotted her bobble hat bobbing in the water.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23Next we're heading to Bradford Royal Infirmary
0:21:23 > 0:21:26where a particularly gruesome case has been rushed into A&E.
0:21:28 > 0:21:36Geoff Allsop's arm might look like a giant cotton bud but that bandage is hiding a monumentally mangled mitt.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Only some of Geoff's hand is wrapped within.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41The rest of it is in that bowl.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43We need a quick look at this,
0:21:43 > 0:21:48- if that's all right.- I don't want to see it.- No. I need to.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53More squeamish viewers might want to look away now as medics get to grips
0:21:53 > 0:21:57with a hand that's missing not one but two fingers.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Well done. You're doing really well.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04An hour ago, joiner Geoff was cutting wood with his trusted circular saw.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08The blade slices through timber like a knife through butter.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12It has a pretty similar effect on flesh and bone.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16So when Geoff passed the saw through his hand his digits didn't stand a chance.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18It was just a lack of concentration.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24All I felt were, like, a big bang.
0:22:24 > 0:22:30The doctors first need to assess whether the fingers Geoff's held onto are viable.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Can you feel anything on that finger there?
0:22:32 > 0:22:34- Yeah.- You can feel that?
0:22:34 > 0:22:36That side?
0:22:36 > 0:22:41He's basically taken off his index finger just at the base of the finger.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44His middle finger seems fairly intact.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47His ring finger he's taken off about halfway down the finger
0:22:47 > 0:22:50and his little finger fortunately and his thumb are OK.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54Doctors then inspect the chilled chipolatas across the room.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Geoff's colleagues managed to retrieve the two severed fingers
0:22:57 > 0:23:02and the ambulance crew covered them in a damp cloth before placing them on ice.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08Geoff's index finger is beyond repair but Mr Pinder thinks they can reattach the ring finger.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12The aim is to give you as functional a hand as we can do.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17I think it's very likely that it'll only have three fingers and a thumb on it rather than your four fingers.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22Although he's facing gruelling surgery, Geoff's staying stoic.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26A bit apprehensive about it, but you've got to deal with it.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28You're in the right place anyway, aren't you?
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Well, that's what everybody's told me, Lisa.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Top notch surgeons.
0:23:33 > 0:23:4110 minutes later, Geoff, his wife Bernadette and his fingers are all led up to theatre.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46He might be a few minutes, but he'll be absolutely fine.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50A tearful Bernadette has an anxious wait as brave Geoff's put under
0:23:50 > 0:23:52and the plastics team get ready to start.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57Even for such a skilled team, this is one almighty challenge.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01First, medics have to thoroughly clean the wound using that most
0:24:01 > 0:24:04- delicate of surgical tools, the scrubbing brush.- Is that enough now?
0:24:04 > 0:24:07No, no, it's fine.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09A very severe injury.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Consultant plastic surgeon Mr Rhodes has a closer look
0:24:12 > 0:24:17at the severed fingers and there's an unexpected twist.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19- This isn't good. - It looks like a section
0:24:19 > 0:24:26of Geoff's ring finger they thought they could reattach is too damaged and can't be stitched back on.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30The good news though is that they might be able to save the completely severed index finger
0:24:30 > 0:24:33they initially thought was a lost cause.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Mr Rhodes first gets to work on the ring finger.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42Using the gruesomely named bone nibbler, he clips back the excess bone.
0:24:42 > 0:24:48He then folds over a flap of skin about halfway down the digit.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56Then it's on to the index finger. It's first attached using wire.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Just goes in there like that.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Drilled right through the bone to hold it in place.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Perfect. Very good.
0:25:06 > 0:25:12Then the painstaking process of connecting the nerves, tendons and arteries can begin.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14We're just fixing the last of the tendons.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19Blood is at last flowing back into Geoff's finger and his hand once again
0:25:19 > 0:25:23resembles a hand, albeit one that lost a fight with a circular saw.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27You can see where the teeth have ripped into his bare flesh.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32Which just leaves the small matter of covering the open wound on the back of Geoff's hand.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37The team take a thin shaving of skin from Geoff's arm which will heal up.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46- That's the skin there. - And then the sliver is grafted onto the back of the hand.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Surgical glue holds it in place.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51By which time Geoff's finger is responding nicely.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55If you rub it, it goes white.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Then in a second or two it comes back nice and pink.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02This is as good as it probably could have gone so far.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04We've managed to find all the bits,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08put them back together and hopefully it will be OK.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Yeah, let's hope so.
0:26:11 > 0:26:18Just a generation ago, an accident like this would have meant Geoff waving goodbye to most of his hand.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Thanks to the incredible skill of today's surgeons,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24there's a chance he'll retain most of the function in his fingers.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29After eight solid hours of surgery it's a phenomenal result.
0:26:29 > 0:26:35The question now is will Geoff's reattached digits remain intact and regain their movement?
0:26:35 > 0:26:38All over. Just wish I could go and have a beer now, but I can't.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Never has a swift half been more richly deserved.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47Two weeks later and Geoff's back for a check-up on his digits.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48How's the hand feeling?
0:26:48 > 0:26:50- Still a bit tender.- Yeah?
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Don't be put off by Geoff's blackened hand.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56His fingers are doing fantastically well.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01So we've been very successful with the index but unfortunately this little bit hasn't survived.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05It just reflects the severity of the injury.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10The blackened area is the skin sliver doctors shaved from Geoff's arm, which hasn't taken,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12but it's a relatively easy fix.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Another skin graft should sort it out.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18It is getting better. It looks better than it did last week.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Hope I get back to work,
0:27:20 > 0:27:22back to normal, hopefully.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Maybe not 100% back to normal, but back to life as life goes on.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31The future should be bright for both Geoff and his fingers.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39Next time on Bizarre ER, there's toy trauma for one toddler.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Tried absolutely everything to try and get it off and it just won't budge.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45A super-size splinter proves a real headache.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50- God, it's huge.- And we find out how doctors down under saved
0:27:50 > 0:27:56a Kiwi woodsman's life and face following a freaky forest accident.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59It was really incredible to think that he was still alive.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:23 > 0:28:26E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk