British doctors have successfully re-implanted the penis of a man with schizophrenia who inadvertently severed it during a psychotic episode.
- A 34-year-old man severed his penis while trying to end his life during a crisis of schizophrenia
- Surgeons decided to re-implant his penis after 11 p.m., 8 hours after the recommended time frame
- The man felt sensations in the penis and had an erection 6 weeks after the operation
In the UK, surgeons have managed to transplant the penis of a man who had inadvertently cut it. A new case reported in the BMJ Case Report.
The 34-year-old patient, suffering from schizophrenia in its paranoid form, was admitted to hospital after a psychotic episode during which he allegedly tried to end his life with a knife. Having injured his neck and abdomen, the man in this moment of madness cut off his penis without wanting to. Found unconscious, he was rushed to hospital. His penis was scooped up, placed in ice, and delivered to surgeons.
An unprecedented relocation
Research has shown that you have to act quickly to re-implant a severed limb and operate within 15 hours of separation, the average being 7 hours. In this man’s case, 23 hours had passed before he was ready to undergo the procedure.
Nevertheless, after examining the penis, the doctors identified the dorsal artery, vein and nerve. After flushing the dorsal artery with a saline solution containing an anticoagulant, they found that blood flow could resume and decided to give it a shot. Surgeons needed to use one of the veins in his arm to reattach the severed part of the stump, but the operation was a success.
Sensations and an erection after the operation
“The patient reported a return of sensation in the penis as well as a spontaneous erection 6 weeks after the operation”, write the doctors. The man also received a skin graft some time later which went well. “The success of this case should encourage surgeons to attempt penile reimplantation, even with prolonged ischemia time, due to possible success and the potential physical as well as psychosocial effects associated with the loss of this organ for the patient..”
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