This incredible video shows the stomach-churning moment a man performed surgery on himself at the top of the mountain using items from his first aid kit.

The Russian man, who was filming a documentary in snow-covered mountains, found himself injured and unable to continue the ascent.

It is believed the man, whose nickname is 'Che', was struck by a huge falling icicle, causing a collection of blood under the skin called a haemotoma.

The blood formed a clot which caused a huge swelling and bruising, leaving him in pain and unable to walk.

Scroll down for video: VIEWERS MUST BE AWARE THE FOOTAGE CONTAINS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC CONTENT

A Russian hiker performed surgery on himself at the top of some snow-covered mountains using only items in his first aid kit

The man was struck by a falling icicle (he is pictured pointing to it with his stick) which caused a blood clot and a swelling in his leg which left him unable to walk

In order to get back down to the city at the foot of the mountains, he decided to perform surgery on himself while lying in the snow.

Speaking in Russian in the video, he said: ‘If you mountain climb, fish or hunt, you must be ready for difficulties and think of safety.

'The insignificant trauma can cause serious problems if you don’t take the right actions.’

Carrying out the operation - with some surgical instruments he had in his backpack - was ‘the most reasonable and effective action’, he said.

Viewers must be aware the footage contains extremely graphic content.

First, he decides to use snow as an anaesthetic, and rubs it on his leg to numb the injury.

Then, he burns a scalpel on a gas torch in order to make it sterile.

Anaesthesia by means of snow is very effective. Pain isn’t felt Che, Russian hiker

‘Now it is possible to start the operation,’ he explains in the video.

In the original film, which has been edited by MailOnline, the man is seen making a deep incision into his leg with a scalpel, and blood is seen flowing out.

He reaches into the cut with his fingers and scoops out the coagulated blood – almost black in colour – which had formed into a clot.

With no sign of pain – or any emotion at all – he says: ‘As you can see here it isn’t necessary for special anaesthesia, snow perfectly coped with this task.’

He cleans away all the clotted blood, until fresh, red blood is seen.

He then pours hydrogen peroxide on the wound to clean it, which fizzes and clears away the blood.

Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used as an antiseptic.

The man decided to perform a procedure to remove the blood clot himself, rubbing snow on his leg as an anaesthetic

He used items in his first aid kit which included a gas lamp, a scalpel, surgical string, a needle holder and a curved needle as well as a hydrogen peroxide antiseptic

‘We consider that a tiny wound, we will sew it up now,’ he said after wiping the cut clean with a tissue.

Using some surgical string, a needle holder and a curved needle, he then sews up the wound, creating large, rustic-looking stitches.

Once again, he comments on how remarkably unpainful the whole procedure has been.

‘It is worth noticing that anaesthesia by means of snow is very effective. Pain isn’t felt,’ he tells the camera.

Wrapping a bandage around the wound, he stamps his leg on the snow to indicate he can walk again.

‘Operation is finished,’ he declares.

He cuts a deep incision in his own leg using a scalpel, which he sterilised by heating it with a gas lamp

Using his own hands he scoops out blood which has coagulated and formed a clot, before sewing the wound up with surgical string

Incredibly, ten days later the seams were removed and the wound healed completely, leaving barely any scar

Two weeks later, he is seen casually sitting on an armchair in the snow, having completely recovered.

‘I didn’t die of gangrene,’ he exclaims, adding that wound did not become infected and there was no need to discharge any pus from it.

Incredibly, the seams were removed in ten days and the wound healed completely.

The camera pans in on his leg and, amazingly, he was left with barely any scar.

While others may have waxed lyrical about their ordeal, his concluding thoughts are that it is essential to have a surgical needle in one’s backpack.

‘It is possible to use a sharp penknife instead of a scalpel and flat nose pliers instead of a needle-holder,’ he said.