Injury Christian Petracca's injury - A disgrace he was allowed to come back on the field

[SammyRoo]

Can't remember the name of the player, but had a really serious kidney injury and needed emergency surgery. Played for Geelong I think (more recently than Sam Newman). And Leigh Colbert had a pancreas injury.

Contrast that to the number of concussions, or ACLs that occur, and thankfully it's not too common.

Edit - just remember Phil Davis also had a very serious kidney injury needing surgery. Played out the game, but felt unwell afterwards.

Yeah - Dipper in the 89 GF? Matthew Lloyd was talking about a similar injury

Thoracic injury can present themselves that way Ie initial pain, followed by a feeling of recovery , but then deterioration as bleeding continues or air escapes

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Hey may never be the same player again atrocious management

 

[Mordecai]

The real question is, why would the Melbourne Football Club attempt to murder their best player? Life insurance payout probably.

Melbourne Demons AFL star Christian Petracca suffers scare in pool

AFL star rescued after pool mishap

www.foxsports.com.au

It's the second time they've tried too

 

[MagpieJo]

Disagree. He was dead set ratshit at QT and it was obvious

I agree, at the ground you could see they were just about carrying him, love watching him play, it was distressing to see.
Certainly the club should be held accountable.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Lonergan

Correct

His condition deteriorated rapidly the night of the injury where doctors feared for his life.

Had his kidney removed and was placed in an induced coma for 5 days

Awful stuff

 

[werdna78]

Nobody could have predicted the actual injuries but every single person watching - and playing - knew that Trac shouldn't have been out there.

Once he had the pain killing injection and he could be seen to still be struggling, that's when he should of come off. Most players after getting injections don't show much evidence of pain. Petracca could hardly move.

 

[Osho]

So a broken rib damaged other tissue and organs?

My doc mate said a broken rib, or strong suspicion of, can be determined reasonably easily. Then, it's an easy decision to say "no mas".

I'd be curious to know the Dee's protocol on the day, maybe we will never know the details, but expect the AFL to bolster procedures.

 

[Rotayjay]

If we are going to go that route every ground that is used for AFL games should have similar equipment would also need a standard of what is getting checked as well

Are we scanning after every big hit or pain symptoms?

Those machines cost an absolute fortune. The AFL isn't exactly short of a dollar though.

 

[bzparkes]

Hmm, well I guess I can't complain about WCE management of our players. We've had 2 incidents this year(Maric & McGovern) where they've suspected broken ribs and immediately sent both players to hospital while the game was going on. Thankfully both were fine but I can't understand what Melbourne docs were thinking, let alone the coaches.

 

[Sully111]

Too many excuses being thrown around. The fact is it's just not good enough.

 

[Crankyhawk]

AFL needs to stop being so tight and provide MRI/Ultrasound/X Ray machines at all stadiums, like what happens at NFL in USA

Retroactively installing these would be challenging due to space and radiation shielding (for CT and X-ray) requirements; then maintenance and quality control. Ultrasound imo is the one which can be used, handheld or portable devices, doesn’t need new massive infrastructure and is within the potential skill set of the doctors (so doesn’t need a specialist technician)

Edit: just heard Melbourne already used ultrasound which didn’t show the injury or free fluid (it is known that assessment immediately post injury may miss the bleeding as it hasn’t bled a lot by that time), so my comment re ultrasound is not as good as I thought it might be

 

[Crankyhawk]

Good luck finding 9 doctors to essentially do this over the weekend. We don't even have full time umpires, or the same setup for goal reviews at each ground. I just don't think there's enough money in the game that can afford this.

Those doctors are going to have their own practices to attend during the week, and are unlikely to be employed full time by the AFL. My medical colleagues (including relatives who have done the occasional AFL game) in the 2010s essentially did it out of love for the game, and not for money. I just don't see it being something the game will be able to achieve. The NFL can have this kind of setup, but their budget is huge. However, the "independence" has been questioned in the NFL, as the doctors aren't truly independent.

Tua Tagovailoa: Insider Says NFL's 'Independent Neurologists' Aren't Truly Independent - Sportscasting | Pure Sports

There are many questions for the NFL after the Tua Tagovailoa concussion, including about the independence of the 'independent neurologists.'

www.sportscasting.com

They may be team unaffiliated, but not league unaffiliated. What level of independence do you want?

They already do. AFL have independent doctors for the match officials. It’s a part time gig.

 

[JackFlash]

This Petracca incident should be a lesson to the AFL. Improve the medical facilities at all AFL grounds, particularity the MCG. They spend so much time on concussion that they forget other possible injuries that are potentially life threatening. If Petracca had been cleaned up with a brutal bump and went back on the ground in a daze, there would be hell to pay. There needs to be a fully equipped medical room at the G at all times.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

This Petracca incident should be a lesson to the AFL. Improve the medical facilities at all AFL grounds, particularity the MCG. They spend so much time on concussion that they forget other possible injuries that are potentially life threatening. If Petracca had been cleaned up with a brutal bump and went back on the ground in a daze, there would be hell to pay. There needs to be a fully equipped medical room at the G at all times.

Cant sue for broken ribs/punctured lung.

 

[JackFlash]

Cant sue for broken ribs/punctured lung.

That's true and the sad fact.

 

[RAPPA]

Collingwood is proving to be a nightmare for Melbourne - they’ve ended one gun’s career and another gun’s season

 

[sydney_gws]

Hey may never be the same player again atrocious management

Do we know if the injuries where made worse by coming back.
Thankfully no more collisions occurred.
I think it future for potential broken ribs, players should not be allowed to return to the field.
These things are even more serious than a single concussion, which are I think being treated well now.
Also , they must stop players jumping into others with their knees. It is legal now but very dangerous, especially if it is lower body.
Jumping on shoulders like Jamie Elliot on McKay is less dangerous but only if done successfully.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

He's out for the year now. That's stuffed for the competition.

 

[Profop]

Can’t understand people suggesting this outrage is all based around hindsight

Was clear as day the second he came back on that he wasn’t right

This one was bizarre, Melbourne seem to have a lot of weird issues with club doctors over the past few years

 

[BringFevBack2021]

Can’t understand people suggesting this outrage is all based around hindsight

Was clear as day the second he came back on that he wasn’t right

This one was bizarre, Melbourne seem to have a lot of weird issues with club doctors over the past few years

Your club handled this with Dusty with far more professionalism in a close game against a good club having already activated your sub that match

Both exhibited similar behaviour immediately post injury

Melbourne have no excuse, I have interest in the field and my immediate reaction was potential organ injury - a doctor would know a LOT more than I so it’s baffling that the decision to allow him back on was made

 

[blaisee]

This talk about player welfare is just garbage

Petracca could barely move , absolute disgrace that he was let back on the field

He should sue them.

 

[mxett]

This talk about player welfare is just garbage

Petracca could barely move , absolute disgrace that he was let back on the field

He should sue them.

he would need to prove returning to the field made his condition worse, and that he wasnt informed this could happen and consented to it

 

[ThirtyFive]

An Xray isn't going to show an intraabdominal injury like a kidney, spleen or liver laceration. You really need a CT scanner for this, and then you need a radiographer available to do the scan, the patient to have an intravenous drip put in so iv contrast can be administered, and if you are going to that extent that you are worried enough to want a CT, the patient should be in the emergency department, not in a cubicle at the back of the MCG.

Some sports doctors are quite proficient in reading imaging before a radiologist finalises a report. Granted, CT w/ contrast is the gold standard in definitive spleen diagnosis. When I first started out as a sports trainer 44 1/2 years go, we had an opposition player receive a blunt trauma abdominal injury that was, as time progressed, clearly more than just winding. Called an ambulance because he was in all sorts of pain. One symptom was radiating left shoulder pain. I remember to this day the paramedic saying, "Guaranteed spleen laceration." He was right when confirmation came though later that day. I stored that away and it came in handy 42 years later in a state league match with the same clinical presentation. Also, some sports doctors have ultrasounds which will pick up free fluid in the abdominal cavity. May not give clear imaging of which organ is affected, but, free fluid demonstrates something is wrong. And, an ultrasound will pick up a rib fracture quite accurately.

 

[ThirtyFive]

Lucky not to have had a complete and total tragedy on the weekend is my understanding of spleen injuries at that degree

Reasonably common cause of tragedy in motocross and snowmobiling

Yep. They're classified as medical emergencies.....

 

[Sherrinator]

It’s pretty rare that a player be writhing in agony like that after any hit. Pull him from the game and go straight to emergency ffs.