Rider down

I'm John Van Hazinga's oldest sister, Rebecca. As you likely know, John was seriously injured in a skateboarding accident on Thursday. My family and I appreciate the good wishes from the many people who've let us know how much they care about John and are hoping to see him back on his feet again. I'm no blogger, but decided to start posting the news of John's progress.

For background on the accident, check out the Burlington Free Press. http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070714/NEWS02/707140306/1007.

Today, 5 days after the incident, John is still in the ICU and is in a coma.

Background: The key danger over the past several days has been the inter cranial pressure (ICP) as his brain swells. His ICPs are being measured by a device inserted in his skull. Over the weekend, the ICPs were managed by giving him a saline solution intravenously. Yesterday the swelling increased such that saline could no longer keep his ICPs in a safe range and a drain was put in his head. This temporarily improved his ICPs.

Today: It has been a tough day. His ICPs are again increasing, above safe levels (safe is 20; John has been above 25 for much of the afternoon and evening). If the ICPs cannot be brought down, a section of John's skull will be removed to relieve the pressure. He has also developed a high fever (38.8 Celsius), which could be indicative of an infection.

Prognosis: Initial and follow-on CAT scans show damage to 2 areas of his brain. The effect of this damage is currently unknown. Most people with this level of brain injury do regain consciousness and physical abilities. Many suffer some permanent mental damage, although in some cases noticed only by the person themselves. The effects of brain injury vary significantly from one person to the next and it is hard to say what the outcome for John will be.