A MERSEYSIDE hospital trust last night defended the decision to use a Halfords screwdriver on a patient during an operation.
It happened when surgeon Peter Mobbs was removing a metal plate from a patient's arm at St Helens Hospital.
Half way through the operation, he realised that he did not have the right tool to undo the screws, which had been fitted abroad.
So the surgeon made the unusual decision to send someone to the local Halfords DIY store to buy a £2.50 star-head screwdriver while the patient was still under general anaesthetic.
It was then sterilised and the operation went ahead as planned.
After waking, the patient, in his mid-20s, was told what had happened and was said to have been happy about it.
Mr Mobbs, a consultant in trauma and orthopaedic surgery, has worked at St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust for five years.
Last night, Robin Macmillan, medical director of the trust, commended the surgeon for his quick-thinking.
Mr Macmillan said: "There are a number of different heads and screws for such plates and, in this case, the surgeons didn't have the correct screwdriver in our store. When they saw it they knew they wouldn't be able to go through with the operation so they sent someone off to Halfords to get one.
"The important thing here was that there was a risk assessment and what was done was in the patient's best interest.
News RSS Feed