DJ Hayden Car Accident – “I’m looking around and I’m getting really sleepy,” Houston cornerback D.J. Hayden told Jeff Schudel of The Morning Journal at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. The left eye blacks out. Not seeing.” His concern was tremendous. “Lord, help me get out of this one.” Hayden had no idea a practice football tackle would nearly kill him in November.
His survival to tell Schudel the story was miraculous. Hayden sought medical attention immediately. Houston’s checkup chilled him. Shock may reduce muscle and tissue oxygen supply. Hayden’s caregivers rushed him to the hospital due to his severity. The IVC, which carries blood from the lower half to the heart, tore. He should have died from the injury. In 2001, Dr. Robert F. Buckman and colleagues reported in Surgical Clinics of North America that 50% of IVC injuries are deadly before admission. Most survivors die following Pub Med access.
Hayden, in peril, had few options from doctors. IVC tears necessitate immediate surgery and prayer. Doctors must also work quickly—even a few minutes delay could be deadly. Hayden’s case was typical. “The doctor said he was going to have to cut me open,” says he. Schudel’s editorial claims Hayden’s rib cage was opened by thoracotomy.
Doctors saw his sternum to find the hemorrhage. Although details are unknown, Hayden’s thoracic cavity presumably had more blood than expected. Why did everything worsen so fast? The largest vein in the body is the IVC, measuring 1.5 inches in some persons. It’s large because it returns blood from the pelvis, abdomen, liver, and legs to the heart. That suggests IVC bleeds quickly. The heart receives and sends less blood with a bleeding IVC. Blood pools in the chest or abdomen.
Without Houston’s medical and surgical teams’ prompt action, Hayden might have died. Dr. Buckman’s study found that most of the 50% of hospitalized patients die during surgery. Good thing Hayden survived the surgery. “He put some sutures in, stitched (the IVC) back together, closed me back up and here I am today,” said he. Comparing it to wet tissue paper sewing. He succeeded, but how?” Schudel’s report says IVC injuries are rare trauma diagnoses, hence Hayden’s condition defies medical logic. Doctors and students are encouraged to avoid IVC rip diagnoses on medical board exams unless the question stem indicates considerable trauma, such as an unrestrained motor vehicle accident or a pedestrian-automobile collision. Imaging showed serious internal bleeding, but clinicians ignored an IVC tear.
