OakTreeUp-n-Out
09-10-2007, 06:15 PM
Here's outcome of today's press conference concerning Port Arthur's Kevin Everett (University of Miami, Bufallo Bills).
In a televised September 10, 2007 press conference,[1], Buffalo Bills team medical director Dr. John Marzo described Everett's injury as a fracture and dislocation of the cervical spine resulting in injury to -- but not a severing of -- the spinal cord. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Andrew Cappuccino of Buffalo Spine Surgery, who has served on the medical staff of the Buffalo Bills for many years and who was Everett's attending surgeon, described the injury to Everett's spinal cord as a "scissoring" or "pinching" injury caused by dislocation of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae. Cappuccino repaired a fracture between the third and fourth vertebrae in a procedure that included a bone graft, the insertion of a plate and four screws in Everett's spinal column, and the relief of pressure on the spinal cord. Cappuccino reported that, immediately after the injury, Everett could not feel anything below his shoulders, but on the morning after surgery he had some voluntary movement in his legs and could feel pressure "down to his feet." However, Cappuccino gave the player a "statistically very small" chance of walking again. Cappuccino stated that he believed Everett would sustain "permanent" neurological damage, and used terms such as "bleak" and "dismal" to describe the outlook for a case he frankly described as life-threatening, giving Everett less than a 5-10 percent chance of regaining full utilization of his physical capabilities. Everett remains on a respirator, but was able to breathe on its own when it was briefly turned off. Cappuccino described Everett's respiratory risks as among those he described as life-threatening. He also described how techniques such as intra-venous methods to reduce Everett's body temperature to reduce the damage caused by the injury were applied while Everett was enroute to the hospital for treatment. Cappuccino described Everett as an "NFL athlete [with] a warrior's mentality," who showed concern primarily for his family and who asked doctors to do everything they could for him.
In a televised September 10, 2007 press conference,[1], Buffalo Bills team medical director Dr. John Marzo described Everett's injury as a fracture and dislocation of the cervical spine resulting in injury to -- but not a severing of -- the spinal cord. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Andrew Cappuccino of Buffalo Spine Surgery, who has served on the medical staff of the Buffalo Bills for many years and who was Everett's attending surgeon, described the injury to Everett's spinal cord as a "scissoring" or "pinching" injury caused by dislocation of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae. Cappuccino repaired a fracture between the third and fourth vertebrae in a procedure that included a bone graft, the insertion of a plate and four screws in Everett's spinal column, and the relief of pressure on the spinal cord. Cappuccino reported that, immediately after the injury, Everett could not feel anything below his shoulders, but on the morning after surgery he had some voluntary movement in his legs and could feel pressure "down to his feet." However, Cappuccino gave the player a "statistically very small" chance of walking again. Cappuccino stated that he believed Everett would sustain "permanent" neurological damage, and used terms such as "bleak" and "dismal" to describe the outlook for a case he frankly described as life-threatening, giving Everett less than a 5-10 percent chance of regaining full utilization of his physical capabilities. Everett remains on a respirator, but was able to breathe on its own when it was briefly turned off. Cappuccino described Everett's respiratory risks as among those he described as life-threatening. He also described how techniques such as intra-venous methods to reduce Everett's body temperature to reduce the damage caused by the injury were applied while Everett was enroute to the hospital for treatment. Cappuccino described Everett as an "NFL athlete [with] a warrior's mentality," who showed concern primarily for his family and who asked doctors to do everything they could for him.