Doctor performs self-appendectomy in Antarctica, earning worldwide admiration.

Suffering from appendicitis during an Antarctic expedition 57 years ago, doctor Leonid Ivanovich Rogozov performed surgery on himself.

On November 5, 1960, aboard the ship Ob, young doctor Leonid Ivanovich Rogozov left the port of Leningrad (formerly the Soviet Union) for Antarctica with 12 other explorers. Accepting the risk of cutting short a promising career to embark on this adventure, Rogozov had no idea that he would perform a historic surgery that would earn him worldwide admiration.

According to BMJ, several weeks after arriving in Antarctica,Rogozov began to fall ill. With a high fever, vomiting, and intense pain in the lower right corner of his abdomen, the doctor knew he had appendicitis."I'm in terrible pain," the then 27-year-old doctor wrote in his diary. "A blizzard is ravaging my soul."

Doctor Rogozov. Photo: Vladislav Rogozov.

Under normal circumstances, appendicitis is not life-threatening. However, at that time,Rogozov was in the middle of the remote Antarctic, surrounded by nothing but thousands of square miles of snow and ice. No one could provide support as he was the only doctor on the team. There was a research station nearby.Rogozov is taking refuge, but the weather is too bad to allow any movement. Moreover, his return to Russia is still more than a year away.

Facing a perilous situation,Rogozov initially considered giving up.I remained silent, even smiling. "Why should I be afraid, my friends?" he explained. However, the pain intensified, forcing him to...Rogozov pursued the only idea he could think of: performing surgery on himself."That's almost impossible. But I can't just stand by and give up," the doctor confided.

On the night of April 30, 1961,Rogozov planned to perform the surgery. With the help of the expedition members, he set up the operating room, removing all furniture except for a bed, two tables, and a lamp.The young doctor instructed everyone on how to move instruments, set up the lights, and hold the mirror so he could see what he was doing. In addition,Rogozov also showed them how to administer injections and perform CPR in case he lost consciousness. Finally,Rogozov put gloves on his colleagues.

At 2:00 AM on May 1, 1961, the historic surgery began.Rogozov injected himself in the abdomen to induce local anesthesia. In his diary, he described:"I was scared too. But when I held the novocaine needle and injected myself, somehow I switched to work mode and didn't pay attention to anything."After 15 minutes,RogozovMake a 10-12 cm incision on your abdomen at the location of the appendix.

Doctor Rogozov performed his own appendectomy. Photo: Vladislav Rogozov.

According to his diary, the doctor tried to remain calm but was sweating profusely, requiring others to wipe his sweat away. Every 4-5 minutes, he would rest for 20-25 seconds.Although there is a mirror,Rogozov was still largely relying on his senses. After 45 minutes, he was exhausted and dizzy, so he paused the surgery. The scene was...Rogozov's behavior at this point made all the members of the delegation "extremely uncomfortable" and "just want to run away".

Take a short break.Rogozov continued. As a result, after an hour and 45 minutes of self-surgery, he successfully cut out the "cursed section of intestine" and then stitched up his abdomen.Before taking sleeping pills,RogozovInstruct your colleagues to help you clean and dispose of surgical instruments."I kept thinking things would end badly," the doctor said.He recounted, "Then I realized, essentially, I had been saved."

After taking the medicine for 4 days, my health improved.Rogozov gradually recovered. On the fifth day, his body temperature returned to normal, and a week later the stitches were removed from his surgical wound. Within two weeks, the 27-year-old doctor returned to his duties at the research station.

More than a year after his self-surgery, Dr. Rogozov returned home. Photo: Vladislav Rogozov.

More than a year after the historic surgery, the Soviet team of specialists left Antarctica. On May 29, 1962, they arrived at the port of Leningrad. Without further delay,Rogozov immediately set to work. Until the end of his life, he worked and taught atDepartment of Surgery, Leningrad Medical Academy.

Considered the first case of successful self-surgery outside of harsh environments,Rogozov became an icon.Regarding his determination and will to survive, he particularly refused all honorary awards, stating, "It's just something normal like everything else."

DaySeptember 21, 2000, doctorRogozov died at the age of 66.

According to VNE