The Injuries Hannah Suffered

When Hannah landed she suffered extensive injuries. The following is a list of the majority of the injuries and how they have been or are being resolved.
• Organ bruising including her heart and lungs- this will have to heal on its own over time. Tubes have been put in to drain the blood and reduce pressure from around the heart.
• Both lungs were punctured (the air pockets in the lining around her lungs is what kept her from being able to be flown directly to IMC)- the lungs were reinflated with a tube and they are healing nicely.
• Fractured right femur- surgery was done on Sunday to realign the break and her leg is now in traction.
• Fractured C7 (last vertebrae in the neck)- this is not of major concern at this time and the medical staff believes that it will heal on its own with just a neck brace.
• Compression fracture in T12 (last vertebrae in middle back)- also not a major concern, this should heal on its own while she wears a back brace.
• Paralysis on left side- this injury appears to be the result of 2 injuries. The arm paralysis appears to be damage the brachial plexus (a cluster of nerves that runs from the neck through the arm). The legs paralysis also appears to be from the nerves on her leg. This is something that seems to come and go and Hannah’s doctors have to wait to see if it improves on its own. It is hard to determine nerve damage on Cat scans and MRI’s. Hannah has been able to feel touch and has some movement off and on- this is a promising sign.
• Some swelling and bleeding in brain- this appears to have resolved itself.
• Bruising/swelling of pancreas- this is also healing on its own
• 16 broken rib- the ribs will be plated during surgery on Tuesday
• Loss of consciousness- Hanna has regained consciousness and is asking questions via writing.
• Hannah is also on a ventilator to assist in her breathing. This is a struggle because it limits her communication . Each day they do a C-pap with her which is where the staff reduces the work that the machine does for Hannha and she breathes on her own. They will continue to do this until she tires and each time this happens she will be placed back on the ventilator. She is basically retraining her lungs and learning how to breath properly again.
• Her blood pressure continues to fluctuate- the best thing for this is for her to stay calm and not get over excited.
• There are other smaller injuries that may surface over time- we will keep you posted.
Hanna’s Treatment
After her arrival at IMC Hanna immediately received an MRI to try to determine the extent of her injuries. The first item of most concern was the fluid around her heart. The doctors gave the fluid a few hours to resolve itself. When this did not happen they chose to drain the fluid in an effort to reduce the strain on her heart. The procedure was successful in terms of easing the pressure on her heart. Hannah also received a CAT scan in an effort to discover any other injuries that they might be unaware of at the time.
On Sunday the doctors felt that Hannah was stable enough to surgically repair/brace her right femur. This was also done in an effort to reduce some of her pain and discomfort. The medication that Hannah is on to relieve the pain was also complicating the ability to keep her blood pressure stable. The leg surgery was considered successful.
On Monday Hanna started to exhibit signs of blood clots which were expected due to the injuries she suffered and the medications necessary to help her in her battle towards recovery. She is also at a risk for heart attack and stroke due to the clots. The goal is to place an umbrella near her heart that will catch any clots that break loose and work their way towards her heart. The umbrella was installed early Tuesday morning. Hannah is also scheduled to have her ribs plated on Tuesday which will also help reduce some of the pressure on her breathing.
Hannah has regained consciousness and is becoming stronger each day. She is being medicated as much as possible to reduce his pain and discomfort. She has been given propofal which is an amnesiac. This will limit her ability to remember much of what she is experiencing and reduce the emotional trauma. She is doing as well as can be expected in a situation as extreme as this and continues to need your love and prayers for her full recovery.