14-Hour Reattachment: The High-Stakes Fight for a Severed Thumb | Real ER Episode 2

43-year-old Anthony Bridgewater is rushed to emergency surgery after industrial machinery completely tears off his left thumb, ripping tendons directly out of his forearm. Following a grueling 14-hour microsurgery to reattach the digit, doctors are forced to deploy live medicinal leeches to act as artificial veins, using the organisms' saliva to prevent blood clotting and save the dying tissue. ⏩Continue watching the Real ER series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4gBm7DwLXxJ9LrINbn7SeGIF70GEtHU7 Subscribe to Emergencies Up Close - https://www.youtube.com/@EmergenciesUpCloseITVS?sub_confirmation=1 Watch More Documentaries Up Close - youtube.com/@UCk4gf0vIPFwrV34NbaqCQyw Crime Up Close - youtube.com/@UC_HjTn8kjf9QSuYM6SqdKJg Rails, Roads & Runways - youtube.com/@UCsSBzp1ZwlOPMmzfiocKHVA Blueprint - youtube.com/@UCJqo83iPTdpMNOT-3O-RnKA Our History - youtube.com/@UCx88hWQrq8fWZnpsiZZBqnA True Lives - youtube.com/@UCT9ehHCu59wpsPyrcKZt72w Our World - youtube.com/@UCouPeqI9PDQ4kSI2lOEOLpg Our Stories - youtube.com/@UC-hzoAk2bSnoqW0LmECa5WA Taste - youtube.com/@UCyZQGi9vZNFQHouRKLndszA Get access like never before to the lives of police officers, firefighters and doctors with a collection of the best documentaries following emergency workers worldwide. Content distributed by ITV Studios. #hospital #documentary #nhs