Prostate Restored
Photo by Felicity Tai Pexels Logo Photo: Felicity Tai

Can you live with half a body?

Apart from the very low likelihood of surviving such an injury, even an operative hemicorporectomy is unlikely to be successful unless the patient has "sufficient emotional and psychological maturity to cope" and "sufficient determination and physical strength to undergo the intensive rehabilitation".

en.wikipedia.org - Hemicorporectomy - Wikipedia
Can you tell if a man is infertile by his sperm?
Can you tell if a man is infertile by his sperm?

Your health care provider will study your sperm volume, count, concentration, movement ("motility"), and structure. The results of the semen...

Read More »
Last updated Jun 12, 2022
What are the five qualities of a good man?
What are the five qualities of a good man?

Of course, you're not expecting him to be perfect, but he should at least demonstrate the following qualities of a good man. Emotionally available....

Read More »
Last updated Apr 27, 2019

Amputation of the body below the waist

Hemicorporectomy Pronunciation Other names Translumbar amputation, corporal transection, hemisomato-tmesis, halfectomy ICD-10-PCS S38.3 MeSH edit on Wikidata] Hemicorporectomy is a radical surgery in which the body below the waist is amputated, transecting the lumbar spine. This removes the legs, the genitalia (internal and external), urinary system, pelvic bones, anus, and rectum.[1][2] It is an extremely mutilating procedure recommended only as a last resort for people with severe and potentially fatal illnesses such as osteomyelitis, tumors, severe traumas and intractable decubiti in, or around, the pelvis.[3] By 2009, 66 cases have been reported in medical literature.[4] The most recent documented operation was in September 2019.[5]

Medical uses [ edit ]

The operation is performed to treat spreading cancers of the spinal cord and pelvic bones. Other reasons may include trauma affecting the pelvic girdle ("open-book fracture"), uncontrollable abscess or ulcers of the pelvic region (causing sepsis) or other locally uncontainable conditions.[2] It is used in cases wherein even pelvic exenteration would not remove sufficient tissue.[citation needed]

Procedure [ edit ]

The surgical procedure is typically done in two stages, but it is possible to conduct the surgery in one stage. The first stage is the discontinuation of the waste functions by performing a colostomy and ileal conduit in the upper abdominal quadrants. The second stage is the amputation at the lumbar spine.[6][7]

Considerations [ edit ]

With the removal of almost half of the circulatory system, cardiac function needs to be closely monitored while a new blood pressure set-point develops.[citation needed] Removal of large parts of the colon can lead to loss of electrolytes. Similarly, calculated measurements of renal function (such as the Cockcroft-Gault formula) are unlikely to reflect actual activity of the kidney, as these calculations were developed for patients in whom the circulatory system correlates with the body weight; this relation is lost in a post-hemicorporectomy patient.[citation needed]

Rehabilitation [ edit ]

Extensive physiotherapy and occupational therapy are necessary for a patient to return to some form of normal life, which generally involves using a wheelchair. Designing a prosthesis for the removed body parts is difficult, as there is generally no remaining pelvic girdle musculature (unless this has been spared expressly). As for now, it's unknown if a lower body transplant is possible to give hemicorporectomy survivors a new chance.

How often should prostate be checked?
How often should prostate be checked?

In general, most experts recommend getting a prostate exam every three to five years. Your doctor will check the prostate gland for any lumps or...

Read More »
Last updated May 7, 2021
Can bloodwork tell if you have prostate cancer?
Can bloodwork tell if you have prostate cancer?

A blood test called a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test measures the level of PSA in the blood. PSA is a substance made by the prostate. The...

Read More »
Last updated Aug 27, 2019
Imagine Your Moment Of Freedom!
Imagine Your Moment Of Freedom!

Fluxactive Complete is conveniently packed with over 14 essential prostate powerhouse herbs, vitamins and grade A nutrients which work synergistically to help you support a healthy prostate faster

Learn More »
Promotion

Traumatic hemicorporectomy [ edit ]

Individuals sustaining a severe bisection injury that is essentially a de facto hemicorporectomy would rarely reach a hospital before dying. A study that reviewed 267 cases of patients who sustained severe blunt and penetrating trauma, and who were in cardiopulmonary arrest, found that only 7 survived long-term, only four of whom returned to their previous neurologic level.[8] Apart from the very low likelihood of surviving such an injury, even an operative hemicorporectomy is unlikely to be successful unless the patient has "sufficient emotional and psychological maturity to cope" and "sufficient determination and physical strength to undergo the intensive rehabilitation".[9] Emergency rooms and ambulance service policies advise against the resuscitation of such patients. The UK's National Health Service, for example, in its "Policy and Procedures for the Recognition of Life Extinct" describes traumatic hemicorporectomy (along with decapitation) as "unequivocally associated with death" and that such injuries should be considered "incompatible with life" in patients under 18.[10] The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) and the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (COT) have also released similar position statements and policy allowing on-scene personnel to determine if patients are to be considered unresuscitatable.[11] In one case documented by the Archives of Emergency Medicine in 1989, a woman who sustained a complete corporal transection (hemicorporectomy) after being struck by a train arrived at a hospital in a "fully conscious" state and "was aware of the nature of her injury and wished for further treatment." Although the patient was initially stabilized and underwent three hours of emergency surgery, she died approximately two hours later due to "hypovolaemia, cardiac arrhythmia and biochemical imbalance."[12]

Prosthesis [ edit ]

Following a hemicorporectomy, patients are fitted with a socket-type prosthesis often referred to as a bucket. Early bucket designs often presented significant pressure problems for patients, but new devices have incorporated an inflatable rubber lining composed of air pockets that evenly distributes pressure based on the patient's motions. Two openings at the front of the bucket create space for the colostomy bag and the ileal conduit.[citation needed]

History [ edit ]

How is health status measured?
How is health status measured?

The health status of a population can be measured by a wide range of factors: birth and death rates, life expectancy, quality of life, morbidity...

Read More »
Last updated Jun 19, 2018
What is the best drink for fatty liver?
What is the best drink for fatty liver?

Green tea provides several antioxidants, such as catechin. Research suggests that these antioxidants may help improve the symptoms of fatty liver...

Read More »
Last updated Mar 28, 2019

The development of surgical medicine was vastly accelerated during, and following, the Second World War. Rarely-experienced traumas were made more common by new weaponry. This required decisive surgical action as well as the development of new techniques. As B. E. Ferrara stated in his summative article on hemicorporectomy, Lessons learned from battle field injuries quickened innovative treatment of congenital and acquired conditions ... [the general surgeon] devised extensive cancer operations including extended radical mastectomy, radical gastrectomy and pancreatectomy, pelvic exenteration, the 'Commando Operation' (tongue, jaw and neck dissection), bilateral back dissection, hemipelvectomy, and then hemicorporectomy or translumbar amputation, referred to as the most revolutionary of all operative procedures.[1] It was into this environment that Frederick E. Kredel first proposed the operation in February 1951 while discussing a paper on pelvic exenteration.[1]

List of people with Hemicorporectomy [ edit ]

Loren Schauers is an American man with the most recent case of the procedure. He has had the hemicorporectomy amputation in 2019 after a traumatic forklift accident.[13][14] Loren and his wife Sabia have a YouTube channel where they document Loren’s new lifestyle without half of his body.[15]

See also [ edit ]

Amputation

Black Dahlia

The Godwhale , a science fiction novel featuring a protagonist who has undergone this procedure , a science fiction novel featuring a protagonist who has undergone this procedure Waist chop, a form of execution used in China until 1734

Sawing a woman in half

Teke Teke, a Japanese urban legend about a girl that has said to have fallen on a railroad line and had her body cut in half Manananggal, a Filipino mythical creature that separates their lower body and has a vampire-like appearance.

References [ edit ]

en.wikipedia.org - Hemicorporectomy - Wikipedia
Does walking help gout?
Does walking help gout?

It is safe for people to walk with gout. In fact, doing joint friendly activities such as walking can help improve gout-related pain. Gout is a...

Read More »
Last updated Oct 11, 2022
Is Ghirardelli dark chocolate good for you?
Is Ghirardelli dark chocolate good for you?

Ghirardelli dark chocolate is healthy because it is made with quality ingredients, has a high cocoa content, and is low in sugar. The health...

Read More »
Last updated Feb 1, 2019
What are the forbidden foods in Christianity?
What are the forbidden foods in Christianity?

The only dietary restrictions specified for Christians in the New Testament are to "abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of...

Read More »
Last updated Aug 11, 2020
Imagine Your Moment Of Freedom!
Imagine Your Moment Of Freedom!

Fluxactive Complete is conveniently packed with over 14 essential prostate powerhouse herbs, vitamins and grade A nutrients which work synergistically to help you support a healthy prostate faster

Learn More »
Promotion
What are the last stages of prostate cancer?
What are the last stages of prostate cancer?

Stage-4 Prostate Cancer (IV) This is the last stage of prostate cancer and describes a tumor that has spread to other parts of the body, including...

Read More »
Last updated Apr 21, 2022