- Joined
- Jul 14, 2014
- Messages
- 4,157
- Reaction score
- 10,384
- Points
- 123
You guys may have already been aware of this (as I've seen it posted on a number of US media outlets as well) but Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes passed away yesterday after a freakish in-game incident.
For more info:
The condition that killed Phillip Hughes has only been reported 100 times before and was only once before caused by a cricket ball, Australian team doctor Peter Brukner says.
An emotional Dr Brukner said the 25-year-old suffered an "incredibly rare" vertebral artery dissection caused when a cricket ball struck his neck during a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney on Tuesday.
Dead at 25: Phillip Hughes. Photo: Ian Hitchcock
The blow caused Hughes' vertebral artery, one of the main arteries leading to the brain, to compress. That caused the artery to split and Hughes experienced a "massive bleed into his brain".
Advertisement
"I think in this instance, this was a freakish accident because it was an injury to the neck that caused a haemorrhage in the brain," Dr Brukner said.
"The condition is incredibly rare. It's called vertebral artery dissection leading to subarachnoid haemorrhage, if you look in the literature there are only about 100 cases ever reported."
"We're devastated": Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke pauses before reading the Hughes' family statement. Photo: Reuters
The injury is often immediately fatal, Dr Brukner said, however Hughes was resuscitated on the pitch and was transported to St Vincent's Hospital.
"He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends," Dr Brukner said.
The head of trauma at St Vincent's Hospital, Doctor Tony Grabs, also described Hughes' injury as "very rare, very freakish", saying such a condition had never been treated at the hospital before.
"He was not in pain": Dr Peter Brukner speaks to the media at St Vincent's Hospital. Photo: Getty Images
Dr Grabs said Hughes' injury was "catastrophic" and after an immediate scan to assess his injuries, doctors decided they needed surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain.
"What sometimes happens in the brain is if you put blood around the brain, a small amount, you will start to become a bit drowsy. If you put a lot of blood around the brain you will become unconscious.
"He went to theatre and had extensive surgery to remove some of the skull around the brain to help allow the brain to expand so it wasn't compressed."
The parents of Phillip Hughes, Greg and Virginia, leave St Vincent's Hospital on Thursday. Photo: AFP
The surgery took about one hour and 20 minutes. Hughes was then placed in an induced coma in intensive care so he could recover but over the next 48 hours "did not make very much improvement".
When asked about the ambulance response, both doctors praised the treatment Hughes received on the field and said he arrived at hospital in a good condition.
It took paramedics 15 minutes to reach Hughes at the Sydney Cricket Ground and two triple-0 calls were made.
Dr Brukner said ambulance waiting times are only relevant when the injured patient is not being treated and that by "any standard and observation he was receiving excellent quality treatment on the pitch".
Before paramedics arrived, NSW team doctor John Orchard and Dr Tim Stanley, an intensive care specialist who was in the stands, treated Hughes.
Dr Brukner also paid tribute to the team that treated Hughes at St Vincent's.
"They have done a magnificent job and given magnificent support to the family and friends of Phillip," he said.
"Full credit to this amazing institution."
Sean Abbott, the NSW cricketer who delivered the ball that struck Hughes, visited the hospital and spoke with both Australian team captain Michael Clarke and Hughes' sister Megan, Dr Brukner said.
"Obviously what Sean's gone through is an incredibly traumatic experience, as it has been for everyone who was present on the field on that day, and Sean is receiving all possible support from Cricket NSW and Cricket Australia," he said.
Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland said helmets are continuously upgraded and reviewed, but right now the organisation was focused on providing support to Hughes' family and friends.
"It's important to realise that yes we certainly need to review all our procedures and equipment but this is an incredibly rare type of injury," Dr Brukner added.
You can view the incident here but please be advised that the images may be disturbing:
Incredibly sad day for Australian sports. Deepest thoughts are with the Hughes family. RIP Phillip Hughes.
For more info:
The condition that killed Phillip Hughes has only been reported 100 times before and was only once before caused by a cricket ball, Australian team doctor Peter Brukner says.
An emotional Dr Brukner said the 25-year-old suffered an "incredibly rare" vertebral artery dissection caused when a cricket ball struck his neck during a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney on Tuesday.
Dead at 25: Phillip Hughes. Photo: Ian Hitchcock
The blow caused Hughes' vertebral artery, one of the main arteries leading to the brain, to compress. That caused the artery to split and Hughes experienced a "massive bleed into his brain".
Advertisement
"I think in this instance, this was a freakish accident because it was an injury to the neck that caused a haemorrhage in the brain," Dr Brukner said.
"The condition is incredibly rare. It's called vertebral artery dissection leading to subarachnoid haemorrhage, if you look in the literature there are only about 100 cases ever reported."
"We're devastated": Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke pauses before reading the Hughes' family statement. Photo: Reuters
The injury is often immediately fatal, Dr Brukner said, however Hughes was resuscitated on the pitch and was transported to St Vincent's Hospital.
"He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends," Dr Brukner said.
The head of trauma at St Vincent's Hospital, Doctor Tony Grabs, also described Hughes' injury as "very rare, very freakish", saying such a condition had never been treated at the hospital before.
"He was not in pain": Dr Peter Brukner speaks to the media at St Vincent's Hospital. Photo: Getty Images
Dr Grabs said Hughes' injury was "catastrophic" and after an immediate scan to assess his injuries, doctors decided they needed surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain.
"What sometimes happens in the brain is if you put blood around the brain, a small amount, you will start to become a bit drowsy. If you put a lot of blood around the brain you will become unconscious.
"He went to theatre and had extensive surgery to remove some of the skull around the brain to help allow the brain to expand so it wasn't compressed."
The parents of Phillip Hughes, Greg and Virginia, leave St Vincent's Hospital on Thursday. Photo: AFP
The surgery took about one hour and 20 minutes. Hughes was then placed in an induced coma in intensive care so he could recover but over the next 48 hours "did not make very much improvement".
When asked about the ambulance response, both doctors praised the treatment Hughes received on the field and said he arrived at hospital in a good condition.
It took paramedics 15 minutes to reach Hughes at the Sydney Cricket Ground and two triple-0 calls were made.
Dr Brukner said ambulance waiting times are only relevant when the injured patient is not being treated and that by "any standard and observation he was receiving excellent quality treatment on the pitch".
Before paramedics arrived, NSW team doctor John Orchard and Dr Tim Stanley, an intensive care specialist who was in the stands, treated Hughes.
Dr Brukner also paid tribute to the team that treated Hughes at St Vincent's.
"They have done a magnificent job and given magnificent support to the family and friends of Phillip," he said.
"Full credit to this amazing institution."
Sean Abbott, the NSW cricketer who delivered the ball that struck Hughes, visited the hospital and spoke with both Australian team captain Michael Clarke and Hughes' sister Megan, Dr Brukner said.
"Obviously what Sean's gone through is an incredibly traumatic experience, as it has been for everyone who was present on the field on that day, and Sean is receiving all possible support from Cricket NSW and Cricket Australia," he said.
Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland said helmets are continuously upgraded and reviewed, but right now the organisation was focused on providing support to Hughes' family and friends.
"It's important to realise that yes we certainly need to review all our procedures and equipment but this is an incredibly rare type of injury," Dr Brukner added.
You can view the incident here but please be advised that the images may be disturbing:
Incredibly sad day for Australian sports. Deepest thoughts are with the Hughes family. RIP Phillip Hughes.
