Industry News
U.S. ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin had to undergo an unexpected surgery on Thursday, December 12, two weeks after her crash at Killington, Vermont. Shiffrin caught an edge during her second Giant Slalom run and went flying in a forward roll into the B-nets. She suffered a puncture to her abdomen, which she and her team believe may have been caused by her ski pole.
The puncture left a cavity that filled with old blood, also known as a hematoma. Hematomas can be surgically removed, but the surgery in itself can cause further bleeding, causing another hematoma. Therefore, hematomas will typically be left to resolve on their own. The body will typically absorb the old blood over time; however, in Shiffrin’s case, the blood was not draining properly, and the wound required surgery during which some of the old blood was washed out. During the surgery, a Jackson-Pratt (JP) drain was put in which will remove further bleeding from the wound via a thin tube. The advantage of a JP drain is that doctors can judge from the color of fluid in the tube whether the blood is old or fresh and how the wound is healing.
Shiffrin shared an update on her social media accounts straight after the surgery. The 29-year-old athlete is still under the influence of her anesthetic and sounds drowsy but coherent. However, she struggles with the word “obligated,” making for some adorable content.
We wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back on the World Cup circuit next year.
