Surgeon who nearly lost arm plans to be operating in April

A surgeon whose arm was al-most severed in a boating ac-cident in the summer is planning to be back in the operating theatre next month and taking charge of patients by April.

Andrew Lyons, a maxillofacial surgeon at Guy's Hospital, London, specialises in reconstructing the faces of patients disfigured by cancer. He nearly lost his life in a waterskiing accident in Majorca when the speedboat towing him lost control and the propeller blades sliced into his arm and thigh.

He lost a third of his blood and was saved by his 11-year-old son, John, who leapt into the water screaming at the top of his voice to summon help. He was rescued by a crew of four marine biologists and an ambulance took him to hospital where he underwent a seven-hour operation. Once back in England he had further surgery including nerve grafts and tendon transfers to restore movement to his wrist. For weeks doctors feared they would have to amputate the arm but kept the news from him because they knew it would have shattered his hopes.

Mr Lyons, who lives in Sevenoaks with his wife, Françoise, also a doctor, and children John and Chantal, 13, said yesterday: "When I saw my surgeon eight days after the accident he assured me he would have me back operating by February. It was great at the time but it is not going to happen."

"I suppose it is very upbeat to say I will be back operating in April. I have another operation at the end of January which could involve doing further nerve repair work and further work on the elbow joint.

"Provided my radial nerve recovers I am confident I can be back. In my mind I have no doubt I will be back doing surgery. It is just a question of how long it will take and to what degree."

Mr Lyons, who will be 47 on Christmas Day, has had a splint made to steady his arm and is using it to tie surgical knots as part of his rehabilitation.

He is working in out-patient clinics part time, but the lack of mobility in his injured arm means he is still unable to examine the necks of patients to check for suspected cancer. Being right-handed, he was fortunate that it was his left arm that was injured.

"The right arm takes most of the load. My left arm is never going to be what it was before but if I can get 70 per cent function back that is probably all I need."

"I am going into the operating theatre under supervision and I will see how it goes. If I am not fit I won't be doing it. April is what I am aiming for to be back in charge. If the nerve graft takes it is not an unrealistic aim." He added: "I can't consider that I won't be back operating to a very similar degree as before. It's my life. What I want for Christmas is my radial nerve working."

A spokeswoman for Guy's and St Thomas' Trust said no decision had been taken on when Mr Lyons would begin operating again. "A careful assessment of his condition will be made before he is given the go-ahead to start," she said.