WEST HARTFORD, Conn., June 11 (UPI) -- A Connecticut man who tried to remove his arm after being trapped in his basement is in good shape after an operation to close the wound, doctors said Friday.
Jonathan Metz, 31, underwent surgery Friday morning at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, the Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported. His doctors described him as alert and said he could begin fittings for an artificial limb in a month if he recovers without infections.
Metz spent three days in the basement after he got his arm stuck in the furnace Sunday. He decided to amputate his arm after he realized gangrene had set in, improvising a tourniquet and using tools he found within reach.
Dr. Scott Ellner said that while Metz did not succeed in completely removing the arm his self-surgery probably saved his life by keeping toxins from the infection from spreading to the rest of his body.
A friend, Luca DiGregorio, called police Wednesday when Metz did not answer his door. DiGregorio was concerned because Metz did not come to a softball game Tuesday night.
Paramedics finished removing the arm after police and firefighters took the furnace apart.
