Dr. Colvin discusses Bears TE Miller’s urgent surgery

Posted by on Nov 7, 2017 in Dr. Alexis C. Colvin, Football, NFL | No Comments

Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller had surgery to save his left leg after he tore an artery while dislocating his knee during Sunday’s loss at New Orleans. The team said the urgent operation to repair the torn popliteal artery was successful. “If you don’t have blood flow to the leg and it’s been more than eight hours, you can have a likelihood of having to amputate the leg as high as 80-plus percent,” said Alexis Colvin, MD, associate professor of sports medicine and orthopaedics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “But in Miller’s case, everything was very timely. Everyone saw it. The injury has immediate attention to it. It’s pretty unlikely.” She said it’s almost a certainty Miller has torn ligaments. But the blood vessel is the more immediate priority. Doctors need to make sure the leg is getting the proper blood flow. Clotting is a concern, as is damage to the peroneal nerve — which provides sensation and motor function to the lower l

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