0:00:05 > 0:00:07With mind-boggling medical mishaps...
0:00:07 > 0:00:08Ow!
0:00:08 > 0:00:11..and the quirkiest of casualties...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13My boyfriend dropped a turnip on my foot.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15..this is Bizarre ER...
0:00:15 > 0:00:17# So come on... #
0:00:18 > 0:00:23..and for the first time we've camped out in not one but two British hospitals...
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Northampton General and Bradford Royal Infirmary...
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- PHONE RINGS - Hello!
0:00:29 > 0:00:31..to bring you the curious cases
0:00:31 > 0:00:34that are all in a day's work for the stoic staff...
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Can you see your pound coin there?
0:00:36 > 0:00:38..but which have to be seen to be believed.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Plus we've scoured the planet for the people who,
0:00:44 > 0:00:45thanks to amazing medics,
0:00:45 > 0:00:51have 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 > 0:01:00So scrub up, sit back and enjoy the sometimes silly, often odd,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03but never dull world of Bizarre ER.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06All I can say is, thank heavens for the NHS.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Thank you.
0:01:10 > 0:01:18# You're bringing out the best in me. #
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Coming up... a Bradford rag'n'bone man nearly turns his hand to scrap...
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Just caught it with a knife.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34..one rider canters down to casualty after a surreal stable stampede...
0:01:34 > 0:01:36I was awful, I thought I was gonna die.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39..and we reveal how this man made medical history
0:01:39 > 0:01:43when he grabbed the chance to have a bizarre and ground-breaking procedure
0:01:43 > 0:01:47that involved stitching someone else's hand to the end of his arm.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52I will never ever forget what was given to me.
0:01:58 > 0:02:04But first we're heading to Bradford for a very special addition of Strictly Come Casualty.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Tonight's star turn is Olivia Dalby who's arrived at A&E
0:02:08 > 0:02:14with dancing partners Laura and Hannah after a bizarre ballroom blunder.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17If I try to wink it hurts... it actually hurts.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22An hour ago the trio were helping out at the bouncy castle birthday
0:02:22 > 0:02:27of Hannah's five-year-old brother when some not-so-fancy footwork ended in disaster.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Having seen off the hyperactive herd of pint-sized partygoers...
0:02:32 > 0:02:34See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!
0:02:34 > 0:02:37..Olivia, Laura and Hannah decided to reward themselves
0:02:37 > 0:02:40with a three-way waltz across the castle.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45But what started as a dainty dance quickly deteriorated into a tangled tango.
0:02:45 > 0:02:46SCREAMING
0:02:46 > 0:02:50One almighty bounce later and a random clout to the cranium
0:02:50 > 0:02:53left Olivia's bonce spurting blood.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Fortunately, nobody overreacted.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57THEY SCREAM
0:02:57 > 0:03:00They were telling me I were gonna bleed to death,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04they were like, "I hope you don't die and just bleed to death," I thought like, "What?"
0:03:04 > 0:03:08With her life on the line the threesome quickstepped over to A&E
0:03:08 > 0:03:14joined by Olivia's dad Michael, stepmum Heather and the original party host, Hannah's stepmum Claire.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16The blood flowed and the bouncy castle's covered
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and my floor is covered and everything is covered in blood
0:03:19 > 0:03:24from a 13-year-old. There's a lot of cleaning to do when I get home now.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27There isn't a great deal more sympathy from Dad.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30No, I should be at the pub tonight... it's the only time I go out,
0:03:30 > 0:03:37the one time I go out a week and I get a telephone just as I'm getting ready to set off - typical.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40# Hello, babe, what's happening? You cool? #
0:03:40 > 0:03:43THEIR NAMES ARE CALLED
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Fortunately it's Dr Patrick Tong's job to be more concerned -
0:03:47 > 0:03:50and not just about fitting everyone in the cubicle.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52- Did you pass out or anything like that?- No.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Dr Tong is worried that the knock to the noggin
0:03:55 > 0:03:59may have caused concussion so he needs to do a thorough examination.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01I've got a headache but...
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- Any pain here?- No.- And your jaw is all right, yeah?- Yeah.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08- That's fine.- She can still talk. - I can still talk.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Olivia can certainly talk but can she see and hear properly?
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Straight ahead for me.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Unequal pupil size or blood coming from the ear
0:04:17 > 0:04:20could indicate a more serious head injury like a haemorrhage.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24- Been sick or vomited?- No. - That's fine.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Satisfied that Olivia isn't showing any obviously worrying signs,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Dr Tong finally inspects the wound itself to see how deep it is.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37- I think what we need to do is give it a good clean first, see if we can put some glue on it, OK?- Yeah.
0:04:37 > 0:04:44Skin glue is often used instead of stitches on small, straight wounds as it tends to leave less scarring.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47It's nurse Corinne Woods' job to do a spot of bizarre eyebrow-shaping.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50I've got a needle on the end of the glue and the last thing I want to do
0:04:50 > 0:04:53is stick it in the top of your eye or anywhere silly, all right?
0:04:53 > 0:04:55- Are you holding Mum's hand?- Yeah.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58First Corinne washes the wound to prevent infection...
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Good girl.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03..then she uses a tiny needle to apply the glue.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04Just dropping it on now.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10Originally developed to treat soldiers on the battlefield, it sets on touching liquids like blood.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Just been saying what beautiful eyebrows you've got.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16Not for any longer!
0:05:16 > 0:05:19And within two minutes it's as strong as week-old stitches.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23It'll just leave a tiny line probably just above your eyebrow, OK?
0:05:23 > 0:05:25- Thanks ever so much for your help. - All right.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30With Olivia patched up the girls can once again hit the dance floor,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34having learnt the hard way one of the golden rules of ballroom dancing.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Never dance... Never try to do the waltz...on a bouncy castle.
0:05:37 > 0:05:44They might be sticking to solid ground but it seems like bouncing's in Olivia's blood.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53While bouncy castles might seem like a bit of carefree fun
0:05:53 > 0:06:00these potentially fatal inflatables send the best part of 10,000 people to A&E every year.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Along with bounce expect the sort of breaks and bruises
0:06:03 > 0:06:06that were sustained by the partygoers at one 21st
0:06:06 > 0:06:11who were brought to earth with a bump when a bouncy castle was maliciously deflated.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Aww...
0:06:14 > 0:06:17If you want to feel safer while getting your jumping jollies,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21then head to the fairground, where only 170 people fall foul
0:06:21 > 0:06:25of the blow-up battlements, as the rides tend to be better supervised.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29But while the bouncy castles may not batter you there are plenty of rides that might.
0:06:29 > 0:06:30Darling, I want to get off.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Nearly 400 people are wounded by waltzers,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37260 come off worse in a fight with a punch machine...
0:06:39 > 0:06:42..and almost 1,200 are damaged by the deadly dodgem.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Argh!
0:06:45 > 0:06:48But it was a white knuckle ride that nearly finished off Catherine Deal.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51The 22-year-old was hurled from the Giant Dipper
0:06:51 > 0:06:54on Lick Pier in LA in 1922...
0:06:54 > 0:06:55Oh, hello there!
0:06:55 > 0:06:57..as she turned to wave at a friend in the car behind.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Catherine was saved by the cat-like reflexes of a fellow passenger
0:07:01 > 0:07:03who caught her by the ankle as she flew past.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04Why, thank you, sir!
0:07:04 > 0:07:07But we don't want to be total killjoys at Bizarre ER.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Rest assured that your risk of death at the fairground
0:07:10 > 0:07:12is just one in 300 million.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Meaning you are just as likely to be killed by a shark attack...
0:07:16 > 0:07:17Ow!
0:07:17 > 0:07:21..and more likely to be done in by a leaking nuclear reactor
0:07:21 > 0:07:22or a falling coconut.
0:07:27 > 0:07:33Next we're heading to Bradford where rag'n'bone merchant Joe Ewbanks is feeling rubbish...
0:07:33 > 0:07:36after a scrap with a Stanley knife in which he came off worse.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Just, um, cutting a tyre up and I caught it with a knife.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Squeamish viewers look away now as Nurse Betty's about to reveal
0:07:44 > 0:07:48a pretty gory gash underneath Joe's t-shirt tourniquet.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Pop your arm across here for me.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Have you had anything for the pain while you've been...
0:07:53 > 0:07:58- No.- OK. Would you like me to give you something?- No, it's all right.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00So brave Joe brazens it out without pain relief...
0:08:01 > 0:08:03..but he's known for being a bit of a tough guy.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05MUSIC: Theme from Steptoe And Son
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Joe's used to being out on the streets of Bradford in all weathers,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13ably accompanied by trusty stead Noddy, in search of scrap for cash.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20Early today Joe spotted a juicy bit of junk in the shape of a car tyre
0:08:20 > 0:08:23but while using his Stanley knife to cut it free from the wheel,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Joe nearly separated thumb from hand rather than rubber from metal.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- Can you feel me touching down here OK?- Yeah.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- Any pain when I do that? - A bit there.- There, OK.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37As he's been handling dirty scrap, Joe's at high risk of blood poisoning,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41plus if he's sliced deep and cut through nerves or tendons
0:08:41 > 0:08:46he could lose the use of his thumb, putting his whole livelihood at risk.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50To combat infection and so he can see how much damage has been done,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Dr Saleem Ullah Khan has to wash the wound.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57Unluckily for Joe, this will involve injections of local anaesthetic.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59How many needles will I have to get?
0:08:59 > 0:09:03- Just one needle.- Oh, that's all right.- OK? Good.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05- One needle a few times.- A few times?
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Yeah, it is a big wound so just...
0:09:08 > 0:09:11- You trying to give me a heart attack?- No, I'm trying to help you.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14- Will I feel it every time? - You'll be fine.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Fortunately for jumpy Joe emergency nurse practitioner Simon Hunt
0:09:20 > 0:09:25is on hand to prepare the plunger and provide some calming reassurance.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- How big's the needle?- That big.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32I don't like needles.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35Whoa!
0:09:35 > 0:09:39To take his mind off the needles Joe enjoys a quick game of 20 questions.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41How badly does it sting?
0:09:42 > 0:09:45How many times will he inject it?
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Does he put the needle inside of it?
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Dr Saleem's back to deliver a round of nerve-numbing shots.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- Try to stay still... sharp scratch...- Ow!
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- Don't look here.- Don't look here?
0:10:02 > 0:10:05You're sticking needles in my hand.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07You're doing very good.
0:10:07 > 0:10:14With the hand numbed the wound can be cleaned and Dr Saleem sees just how far Joe's sliced.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19The wound is deep, it's just about your major joint of your thumb, OK?
0:10:19 > 0:10:22The blade slashed down to the subcutaneous or deepest layer
0:10:22 > 0:10:27of skin so damage to nerves and tendons is definitely possible.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32The plastic surgeon's going to have a look and decide what to do.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Joe's sent to surgery where medics can get a closer look
0:10:36 > 0:10:40at the carve up and ensure his hand won't be heading for the scrap heap.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46Viewers who don't fancy getting a good look at the inside of Joe's mitt might want to avert their eyes.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53Someone who IS keen to peer into the palm though is surgeon Mr Ahmad.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55He first checks out the tendon.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59The tendon is quite intact here so I don't have to do anything
0:10:59 > 0:11:03and that's the tendon that extends the thumb.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06The tendon might be OK but what about the nerves?
0:11:06 > 0:11:10What I'm looking is a little nerve that goes here and supplies this area here, you know...
0:11:10 > 0:11:14that's the nerve I'm looking at to make sure that nerve is OK
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and then once I see the nerve then we should be starting
0:11:16 > 0:11:18to close this up.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22I see a nerve here...
0:11:22 > 0:11:26he's been very lucky not to injure anything serious here.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29It's just mainly skin and soft tissue.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35All that's left to do is trim away the dead skin and sew up the gaping gash.
0:11:35 > 0:11:3920 stitches later, Mr Ahmad's work is done,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41and Joe's had a lucky escape.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47Luckily he hasn't cut his tendon, he hasn't cut his nerve so he's fine
0:11:47 > 0:11:51and he should be able to go home today.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Once again able to give us the big thumbs up,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Joe's wheeled off to recover
0:11:56 > 0:11:59but he'll be out and back on the wagon later that day
0:11:59 > 0:12:03and his hand should be fully functional within a couple of weeks.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10There are many like Joe who are not fans of needles
0:12:10 > 0:12:13but the humble syringe has a grand history...
0:12:13 > 0:12:16stretching right back to Ancient Greece.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18It's named after the nymph Syrinx...
0:12:18 > 0:12:19Hello!
0:12:19 > 0:12:22..who was transformed into a thin reed when she prayed
0:12:22 > 0:12:27to avoid the unwanted advances of the randy god Pan.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28As early as the first century
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Roman doctors were using rudimentary syringes but as these weren't fitted
0:12:32 > 0:12:36with needles they had to rely on the area being cut before the syringe
0:12:36 > 0:12:38was used to inject or extract.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40- Actually it was my other arm.- Ah.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43For centuries doctors tried in vain to hit a vein
0:12:43 > 0:12:46until in 1853 Frenchman Charles Cravaze
0:12:46 > 0:12:48and canny Scot Alexander Wood,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52developed a hollow needle fine enough to pierce the skin.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55A heart-warming tale if it weren't for the fact that Wood's WAG
0:12:55 > 0:13:01promptly became the first person to OD on morphine injected by her hubby's natty new creation.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Thy hypodermic needle has since both cured and killed.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Injections and inoculations save countless millions every year
0:13:11 > 0:13:15but for some the mere sight of a needle can be fatal.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Trypanophobia or the fear of syringes
0:13:18 > 0:13:21has caused the death of at least 23 people.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Their panic at the prospect of being pricked caused their blood pressure
0:13:25 > 0:13:26to drop to a lethal level.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29While not everyone is scared to death by syringes,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32nobody likes a small prick in the bottom,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34- as the ladies of Hong Kong can confirm.- Ow!
0:13:34 > 0:13:38The city went on high alert over a suspected syringe attacker in 2009
0:13:38 > 0:13:42after two women reported being injected in their derrieres
0:13:42 > 0:13:44while going about their daily business.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- It turned out to be Pham Van Diep... - Hi!
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- ..a Vietnamese labourer with a fetish for big bottoms...- Cor!
0:13:51 > 0:13:53..who was prodding the posteriors with toothpicks.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Mr Van Diep is now safely behind bars and of course
0:13:57 > 0:14:02no fancy dress party is complete without a naughty nurse brandishing
0:14:02 > 0:14:06a giant syringe guaranteed to inject a bit of fun into any gathering.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07WOOLF WHISTLE
0:14:10 > 0:14:17Beyond Bradford is a great big world of bizarre accidents and this series we've scoured the globe to bring you
0:14:17 > 0:14:20the most extraordinary emergencies on the planet.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28Over in the States medical history was made when, following a freak firework accident,
0:14:28 > 0:14:33doctors deployed a revolutionary new technique to give one man a hand.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34Squeamish viewers be warned
0:14:34 > 0:14:38this story contains some gory images right from the start.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44This is Matt Scott...
0:14:44 > 0:14:46but this isn't his hand.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49This is his hand, or at least what was left of it
0:14:49 > 0:14:53after a festive firecracker blew it to smithereens.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59I am the world's first successful recipient of a hand transplant.
0:14:59 > 0:15:06The day that changed Matt's life for ever happened way back in 1985 but the event is burnt into his memory.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09The fuse was probably about this length...
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I just touched the fuse to the tip of a cigarette.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14The firecracker was a monster,
0:15:14 > 0:15:19an M80 invented by the military to simulate an artillery explosion.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22It burned so quickly that my friend yelled, "Throw it,"
0:15:22 > 0:15:25so I took it away from my face to throw it and it exploded.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Dr Elliot Amiss surveyed the damage wrought
0:15:30 > 0:15:31by the exploding firework.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36The only thing that was left was the thumb and the index finger...
0:15:36 > 0:15:39the hand had been blown to bits.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42The middle, ring and small fingers were gone,
0:15:42 > 0:15:47the palm was gone, the wrist and all the bones in the wrist were gone.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50The fearsome firecracker was like a grenade,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53the flying shrapnel was the bones of Matt's own hand.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56There were holes in the wall, a dent in the refrigerator
0:15:56 > 0:15:59that was caused by parts of my bone hitting it,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02there was bone and tendon and blood everywhere.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Amazingly, Matt had a more serious problem.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10I looked down and I realised that the radial artery in my hand was ruptured
0:16:10 > 0:16:13and it was pumping blood with each heartbeat.
0:16:13 > 0:16:19Luckily Matt had just graduated from paramedic school and knew exactly what to do.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23I grabbed on to the stump and squeezed the arm to stop the bleeding.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27At that time, in the '80s, a hand transplant was impossible,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29so amputation was the only option.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Hearing the word amputation...
0:16:40 > 0:16:43is one of those words you hope you never hear in your life.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Although Matt knew what was coming, the post-op reality was still a shock.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53When I looked to the left all I could see was the stump
0:16:53 > 0:16:59of my forearm wrapped in bandages and my hand was completely gone.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01It was at that point in time that I knew
0:17:01 > 0:17:03that it was forever.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08A state-of-the-art electronic prosthetic arm meant Matt
0:17:08 > 0:17:11could go back to work as a paramedic but it could be a real handful.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16When wet would come in contact with the electrodes then I would lose control of the hand.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Radio frequencies would activate the hand, it would open it or close it
0:17:19 > 0:17:24and if I was in the middle of doing something and somebody keyed a radio and I could lose control of it.
0:17:26 > 0:17:2912 years later this man, Dr Breidenbach,
0:17:29 > 0:17:34was working to make Matt's fantasy of getting a real hand a reality.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37If you can lose your hand in an accident we know how to put your
0:17:37 > 0:17:40own hand back on so that you'll get some function.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Putting the hand on was not the most difficult part.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46The most difficult part would be ensuring
0:17:46 > 0:17:50that the recipient's immune system didn't reject the new addition.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55In order to stop the body from rejecting it we had to get drugs,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59immunosuppressant drugs, and those drugs can kill you.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05By the late '90s Dr Breidenbach had concocted a cocktail of drugs
0:18:05 > 0:18:10that he hoped would stop the body rejecting a donor hand without killing the patient.
0:18:10 > 0:18:16But he still couldn't offer a guarantee that a new hand would stay on.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21He had a 50% chance of losing his hand in the first year,
0:18:21 > 0:18:26and another 50% chance of losing the hand in the next five years.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30With all these drawbacks and a very real risk of premature death,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33all Dr Breidenbach needed was a volunteer...
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Matt raised his hand.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Prosthesis or flesh and blood...
0:18:37 > 0:18:40the choice for me wasn't hard, wasn't difficult.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44This was a patient stepping up to attempt to do something that
0:18:44 > 0:18:51many people felt would not work or could possibly even end in the patient losing his life.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57In 1999 all Matt's years of hoping and all the doctor's years of planning
0:18:57 > 0:18:59came together in the groundbreaking operation.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04We attach the bones first and then work our way sequentially
0:19:04 > 0:19:09through the tendons, the arteries, the nerves and the other structures.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Even when the new hand is mechanically connected
0:19:12 > 0:19:16and suffused with blood, there's still no guarantee of success.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18This could all be a big failure.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21You could get a hand, it could stay on but it may never work.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29Having waited so long Matt was determined to get his second-hand hand to work.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32A tiny flicker was all it took.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34The moment I moved those fingers...
0:19:34 > 0:19:39- I- did that and it moved because of something I wanted it to do.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41That was a big day for all of us.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43That hand was now mine. It belonged to me.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Although functioning, the hand was largely numb,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49until one day Matt got the coolest of sensations.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52I reached into the freezer and when I reached in there
0:19:52 > 0:19:59I had the oddest sensation and I said, "That's cold. I feel the cold."
0:19:59 > 0:20:04Over a decade on and despite doctors' initial concerns
0:20:04 > 0:20:07there's still plenty of life in Matt's left hand.
0:20:07 > 0:20:13Matt's grateful to the doctors but there is one person to thank above all...for handing him the hand.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17I will never ever forget what was given to me
0:20:17 > 0:20:20because I see it every day and I think of my donor every day
0:20:20 > 0:20:23and I think of the family every day.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Matt risked his life to get his hand back, to be whole again
0:20:27 > 0:20:32but, despite the success, tissue rejection remains a constant threat.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37Looking at Matt he's so healthy it's hard to see why this can't go on another ten years.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39If they were to say, "It has to come off tomorrow",
0:20:39 > 0:20:44I would say, "Fine, it has to come off, when can I get another one?"
0:20:44 > 0:20:46I would do it again.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55Next we're heading to Northampton where there's been an odd equestrian emergency.
0:20:55 > 0:21:01Anne Hartley's arrived at A&E after her plans for a perfect day in the saddle turned into a bit of a mare.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I did think I wasn't going to get out of there alive.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06It was awful, I thought I was going to die.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Anne spent the morning out riding her pony Jonesy.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17But back at the stables something suddenly spooked her four-legged friend.
0:21:17 > 0:21:18NEIGHING
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Jonesy panicked and the petrified pony pulled on his bridle,
0:21:21 > 0:21:26yanking the entire wall from its fixings.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27The flying wall crashed into Anne,
0:21:27 > 0:21:32knocking her to the ground and trapping her underneath.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Desperate to escape, Jonesy clattered around while helpless Anne
0:21:35 > 0:21:38was crushed beneath, seeing only his dancing hooves.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41That's the bone sticking through...
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Well, it's not sticking through, but you can feel it there.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46The pony's done a good job, bless him.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49With Anne now stable in Bay 13
0:21:49 > 0:21:53emergency nurse practitioner Maria Catlin checks her back...
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- Anywhere at all that's sore? - No, that's OK.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57..and then her X-Rays.
0:21:57 > 0:22:03The real damage is to her shoulder and the upper-arm bone known as the humerus
0:22:03 > 0:22:07but there's nothing funny about this humerus X-Ray.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11When you have a normal picture of a shoulder the head should be sitting
0:22:11 > 0:22:14quite nice and neatly in there with the shaft coming down.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Unfortunately hers is sitting slightly over here, if you like...
0:22:19 > 0:22:22slightly out...
0:22:22 > 0:22:26and the shaft of it is coming up here... Can you see it?
0:22:26 > 0:22:29The injury is so severe that surgery might be needed.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31But medics want to avoid that if they can
0:22:31 > 0:22:36and first op for a more unusual method - they want Anne to get plastered.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41They're gonna put her arm in a hanging cast.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44The cast doesn't support the fracture
0:22:44 > 0:22:49but may align the bones using the encased arm's natural weight plus gravity.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Right, if you just let that shoulder relax.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56As the cast begins to do its job, Anne finds the going heavy.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- Ooohh, God, that's heavy. - It is, isn't it?
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- Is that quite uncomfortable?- Yeah.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07Now might be a good time to try painkillers just to get you over this bit.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Anne heads home to pasture.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12Bye, then.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15But over the next two weeks
0:23:15 > 0:23:19the bones don't fall into alignment so she's back at Northampton General
0:23:19 > 0:23:22with no option but to go under the knife.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24I'm quite scared of the operation.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29It sounds quite gruesome and they can't pin it any more, they've got to put a prosthetic joint in
0:23:29 > 0:23:35but he did say it would be working perfectly afterwards, so hopefully it should be all OK.
0:23:36 > 0:23:43Chomping at the bit to get on with inserting Anne's prosthetic implant is orthopaedic surgeon Mr Kerr.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46We're gonna do a hemiarthroplasty,
0:23:46 > 0:23:51which is a replacement of the ball that goes on the top of the shaft.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55With surgeons under starter's orders now might be a good time
0:23:55 > 0:23:59for more squeamish viewers to pop on the blinkers.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01And they're off...
0:24:01 > 0:24:04with a deep incision to the top of the shoulder,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08cutting through layers of muscle before removing the bashed up bones.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Here we are here's the head... here's the head of the humerus.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14That is the head, that is the bit that was broken off...
0:24:14 > 0:24:16there you can see the fracture...
0:24:16 > 0:24:21and that is the bone and that is the articular surface,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24that is the gristle that makes up the joint.
0:24:24 > 0:24:30That's gonna be replaced by a shiny piece of chrome cobalt - metal.
0:24:30 > 0:24:36Next the arm's prepared for the artificial implant and it's not a pretty sight.
0:24:36 > 0:24:37This is the reamer...
0:24:37 > 0:24:40put it down the shaft...
0:24:40 > 0:24:43There we are, I'm reaming out the soft bone
0:24:43 > 0:24:47from the inside of the canal.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51With the bone gently hollowed out, the stem can be checked for size.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54That's the stem that goes in the humerus...
0:24:54 > 0:24:56this is the introducer...
0:25:00 > 0:25:03That fits very nicely.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08With a couple of delicate taps, the hollowed-out bone is then plugged so it can hold bone cement.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11It's quite scientific, this bit of the procedure.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17That fits in nicely, you can start mixing for her.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Fry's mixing the bone cement
0:25:20 > 0:25:25that will go in the canal to hold the stem in position.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Fry hands over the ready-mixed cement which is pumped into place,
0:25:29 > 0:25:31much like you'd grout your bathroom.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Cement going in, guys.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Once the stem's inserted it takes ten minutes for the cement to set,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42giving Mr Kerr time to catch his breath before the final furlong.
0:25:42 > 0:25:48It's a truly bizarre way to injure yourself and I've never come across anything like this before.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52But anyway, I think we've put her back together so it should be all right.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56The metal bone head's daintily put into place.
0:25:56 > 0:26:02That's on a taper so we just tap it in to get the taper to lodge home.
0:26:02 > 0:26:07And quicker than you can say "Seabiscuit", Anne's got a shiny new shoulder joint.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10So turns in...turns out.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12He shakes it all about.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16OK, thank you, guys, thank you very much. Thank you.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Thank you, Fry. Thank you.
0:26:19 > 0:26:25As they head down the home straight, Anne's stitched up and Mr Kerr seems happy with the results.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29Well, Anne had a very nasty fracture
0:26:29 > 0:26:33but I think she should do very well now with her artificial shoulder
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and I look forward to seeing her in a clinic in a few days.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Passing the finish post, Anne's taken into recovery
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and the next day she's looking forward to trotting home.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46The operation I believe went very well...
0:26:46 > 0:26:49I'm having an X-ray today just to check everything's all right.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53Hopefully it won't be too long, then I can see the doctor and go home,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56providing it's all OK, I think it probably is.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00And like any true horse lover there's only one thing on her mind.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04I'm hoping to go straight to my horse Jonesy if husband will take me, depending on what time I get out,
0:27:04 > 0:27:09and give him a big cuddle and tell him it wasn't his fault and that I'm as good as new again.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13So Anne heads home at a brisk pace.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16An injury this serious will require months of physio
0:27:16 > 0:27:20but medics are confident that she'll regain almost all the function in her arm
0:27:20 > 0:27:24and there's no reason she won't be back in the saddle before too long.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32Next time on Bizarre ER, there's a peculiar playtime snack...
0:27:32 > 0:27:36I don't have to spend my days with my finger in someone's mouth, normally.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Hot off the press, a paper machine mangles one woman's mitt...
0:27:39 > 0:27:41- Is it a mess?- Yes.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46..and we reveal how surgeons saved this man's arm, face and life
0:27:46 > 0:27:49after he was impaled on not one but three fence posts
0:27:49 > 0:27:53in a catastrophic and near-fatal car crash.
0:27:53 > 0:28:00I've never known anybody to suffer injuries like that and survive it...in 37 years.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk