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CNN Live At Daybreak

Surgeon Discusses Reattaching Arm of Boy Attacked by Shark

Aired July 09, 2001 - 07:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's return to the story about the little boy whose right arm was reattached after being bitten off by a shark.

Surgeon Ian Rogers led the medical team at Pensacola's Baptist Hospital, and he joins us now to give us a better update on this little boy.

Good morning, doctor.

DR. IAN ROGERS, SURGEON, BAPTIST HOSPITAL: Good morning.

LIN: What is the prognosis for him at this point?

ROGERS: Basically, at the present time, he's stable but still on the critical list. He continues to have no problem with his replanted arm, and most of the problems he has are with regard to his period of shock.

LIN: Well, when you say no problems with his replanted arm, are you expecting he's going to have full use of this arm again?

ROGERS: That's much too early to tell. We're probably looking at one to two years before we'd know.

LIN: So what sort of therapy is he going to have to undergo in order for you to know whether he's going to have use of this arm?

ROGERS: He's going to have to undergo a prolonged period of physiotherapy and rehabilitation while he awaits the function to return in his nerves, muscles and joints, essentially.

LIN: And this injury to his thigh, what actually can replace thigh muscle?

ROGERS: Basically, at his age, and given the size of the defect, he's probably looking at extensive skin grafting initially, and later on, perhaps, something that might actually fill in the defect, like a free tissue transfer, but at this point in time, closing the wound would probably be paramount, and the best way to achieve this is with skin grafting.

LIN: Dr. Rogers, it's astounding when we talk about the process of this boy's recovery, given the nature of his injuries. I mean, a shark bit off his arm, tore into his thigh muscle; he was without a pulse for 30 minutes. Is there something about the nature of how a child recovers from this kind of injury that helps him recover in a manner that, say, adults can't?

ROGERS: Children tend to be a lot more resilient than us older people, and I think for a comparable injury, children would tend to do a lot better than adults given the same circumstances.

LIN: Well, it is remarkable, and we do wish him the best.

Is the hospital releasing his name yet?

ROGERS: I don't know, to be honest.

LIN: Thank you very much, Dr. Ian Rogers of Baptist Hospital, and we wish this boy and his family well.

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