Carlos Mariotti in hospital where his hand has been put in his belly.

Surgeons in Brazil have put a man's damaged hand into his belly to save it after most of the skin was ripped off in an industrial accident.

Carlos Mariotti, 42, of Orleans in the south of Brazil lost most of the skin on the back and palm of his left hand, leaving bones and tendons exposed.

He lost his index and middle fingers but it is hoped that by putting the hand in a cavity in the injured man's abdomen for six weeks, it will be able to develop new tissue and tendon material so it can receive a skin graft.

The plan is to leave Carlos Mariotti's hand is inside his belly for six weeks while it repairs itself.

Mariotti suffered a de-gloving injury, orthopaedic and traumatology doctor Boris Brandao said.



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"This was a very large and delicate injury and the only place we could fit the whole hand was in the abdomen. Without this procedure, there would be a high risk of infection and the tissue and tendons would rot away," Brandao said.

"In order to keep the wounded hand alive, we opened the abdomen, took off the skin and put it inside the cavity to protect it."

Mariotti was injured while operating a machine that makes coils at a plastics factory.

"It was like watching a movie play out in front of me. I saw the machine pulling my hand in and couldn't do anything about it," he said.

Screaming, he wrenched his hand out, then workmates wrapped it in bandages.

"I am just so grateful because at least I will still be able to hold a fork, grip a steering wheel and dress myself without any help," Mariotti said.

Heavy bandages have been wrapped around his middle to keep the hand in place but he still has to move it gently to prevent it becoming stiff.

"It's a really weird feeling trying to wiggle my fingers inside my body and creepy seeing my tummy protrude slightly as I prod around," Mariotti said.

Brandao warned Mariotti would not get full movement back in the hand, but he would be able to do a pincer movement.

Other people who have had body parts temporarily placed in unusual places include former Idaho beauty queen Jamie Hilton, who fell four metres onto a boulder in 2012.

Surgeons removed a rear quarter of her skull and put it in her abdomen for 42 days so it would remain sterile and nourished while her brain swelling subsided. It was successfully re-attached.

Another was US woman Sherrie Walter who was diagnosed with skin cancer in her left ear in 2010. It had spread to her ear canal and the entire ear, neck glands, lymph nodes tissue and part of her skull were removed.

Cartilage from her rib cage was used to form a new ear, which was then placed under the skin of her forearm to grow for four months before being it was attached to her head.