Man stuns doctors after surviving internal DECAPITATION after car skids on ice By Andrea Downey, Digital Health Reporter6th August 2018, 12:...
By Andrea Downey, Digital Health Reporter6th August 2018, 12:46 pmUpdated: 6th August 2018, 3:21 pm
A MAN has stunned doctors by surviving "internal decapitation" when his car slid on ice in a serious crash.
Brock Meister, 22, was seriously hurt in January when his car flipped and his head smashed into a window.
The force of the crash caused all the ligaments attaching Brock's skull to his spinal cord to snap, leaving him "internally decapitated" - but, luckily his neck didn't break.
The injury is "almost always fatal" as the the head can mo ve around, causing damage to the lower brain stem that helps control breathing.
It can also leave patients severely disabled if too much damage is caused to the spinal cord.
But Brock, from Indiana, survived the ordeal thanks to quick-thinking friends who held him down after the accident to keep him still, according to a blog post by Beacon Health System, the parent company of the hospital where he was treated.
When paramedics arrived they were able to stabilise him before taking him to Memorial Hospital of South Bend in Indiana.
The only thing Brock remembers from the accident is that "half my body was out the window".
He was only the second patient to be taken to the hospital with such sev ere injuries.
Once Brock was stabilised, scans revealed a traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation â€" essentially a complete separation of the skull from the spine, also known as internal decapitation.
But Brock soon developed a large clot in his neck that was compressing his airway and leaving him struggling to breathe.
Internal decapitation means that the ligaments that attach a person's skull to their spine are severed.
But the bones in their neck don't break, so they are not automatically paralysed.
That doesn't mean the injury isn't serious.
The slightest movement after the ligaments are severed can damage the lower brain stem, which plays a vital role in the breathing process.
It can also cause damage to the spinal cord itself, meaning paralysis is likely.
An internal decapitation is incredibly rare and fatal in almost all cases.
Doctors were forced to perform a tracheostomy - making an incision in his neck to insert a breathing tube - as putting the tube down his throat risked causing too much damage to his already precarious neck.
Dr Kashif Shaikh, Brock's neurosurgeon, performed surgery to place a skull plate, rods and spinal screws in his neck to stabilise the injury.
After a month in hospital Brock was allowed home wearing a neck brace, which will remain in place until late spring.
Six months since the accident he is still undergoing intensive rehabilitation and has difficulty moving his right arm as well as pain in his legs.
"It will take some time for the body to heal and that can be a frustrating a nd painful process," Dr Shaikh said.
"But he is very young, has a great attitude, and he looks better and better each time I see him so I continue to be very optimistic.
"I don̢۪t think professional race car driving or football is in his future, but I certainly think a year from now he will back hanging out with his friends eating chicken wings again."
"It̢۪s likely if you see Brock he will have a smile on his face," his mum Jenna added.
"But most days for Brock are filled with physical pain and are just plain tough.
"My heart aches for him. He wants to be better and I want him to be better.
"As a mum, I know, I truly know God was there that night and saved my child.
"Things easily could have been more tragic and my time spent with him could be at the cemetery. Our b oy is a miracle."
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Shocking X-rays show woman's bones 'DISAPPEARING before her doctors' eyes'It's not the first time Brock has faced complicated medical procedures.
When he was 16 he was diagnosed with a grade III germinoma brain tumour after suffering blurry vision and severe headaches.
The tumour was located in the centre of his brain, making surgery to remove it impossible.
He underwent four rounds of chemotherapy in 12 weeks and his tumour eventually began to shrink and die.
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Source: Google News US Health | Netizen 24 United States
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