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CNN Live At Daybreak

Shark Claims Man, His Girlfriend in Critical Condition

Aired September 04, 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.
VINCE CELLINI, CNN ANCHOR: Well, for the second time in two days, a fatal shark attack off U.S. shores, this one in Avon, North Carolina Monday night. A man is dead, his girlfriend critically injured.

Here to discuss the female victim is Dr. Jeffrey Riblet, who joins us from Norfolk, Virginia. He's a trauma surgeon there.

Dr. Riblet, can you give us an update on her condition right now to the minute?

DR. JEFFREY RIBLET, TRAUMA SURGEON, SENTERA HOSPITAL: Good morning.

CELLINI: Good morning.

RIBLET: She's stable in our trauma intensive care unit. She's been stable since her operation last evening.

CELLINI: We understand this was a particularly vicious attack. How extensive were the injuries? Were there a loss of limbs?

RIBLET: Yes, sir. She lost her left foot in the attack. She also has a large tissue defect in her left hip and in her left flank, all of which we took, we took her to the operating room last night and washed these wounds out. They are stable at this point. She'll need many more surgeries to close these and start her rehabilitation.

But she's been stable from a total body point of view overnight since her operation.

CELLINI: With that type of loss of tissue and bone, is there only so much even the best doctors can do at this point in the recovery process?

RIBLET: Well, she'll require skin grafting and probably some mild cutaneous flap surgery to get these defects closed. But as of now we don't want to close them because there's certainly a risk for infection. So we leave them open and we do dressings on them, wash them out with a water pick type device that sprays high pressure water on them and cleans them out real well.

CELLINI: Dr. Riblet, have you had any experience prior to this with shark attack victims? RIBLET: Long ago I treated a shark attack victim, but this was somebody from an aquarium, not near as severe as this.

CELLINI: Dr. Jeffrey Riblet, we appreciate your time this morning and the best of luck to you.

RIBLET: Thank you.

CELLINI: Thanks for sharing some of that information.

RIBLET: You bet.

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