SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY suffered a lifethreatening tear in his main artery after a collision while riding his motorcycle.
nal injuries such as spleen, liver or bowel injury, multiple broken bones and/or nerve injuries.” says Fyvie. “Motorcyclists often sustain severe injuries that are permanently life -altering.” Not surprisingly, McGillivray has only partial memories of his arrival to the hospital. He remembers waking up as he was getting a CT scan. By then, his wife had arrived and was told surgery would be needed to fix the aorta. “Aortic injuries are often fatal,” notes Fyvie. “The aorta is the main artery that comes off the heart, so if you tear your aorta and still make it to the hospital alive, you are considered fortunate. Depending on the severity of the injury, you may need urgent specialized surgery. In Fraser Health, it’s only done at Royal Columbian.” The surgery is long and complicated. McGillivray’s took several hours, as cardiac surgeon Dr. Derek The race to repair the body’s main Gunning excised the damaged segartery following a collision ment of the aorta and repaired the defect with a synthetic graft, while McGillivray’s heart was connected t was a beautiful, unseasonbrother-in-law was the lead parato a bypass machine to keep the ably hot spring day in the Lower medic on the scene. The ambulance blood circulating through the rest of Mainland, the start of what turned soon headed straight the body during the out to be the longest warm spell of for Royal Columbian operation. 2009. For Scott McGillivray, it was Hospital. McGillivray recovered When I woke up, I was a perfect day to cruise home from in the Cardiac Surlying on the road on work on his one-year-old Victory gery Intensive Care Surgical repairs my right side, and I Jackpot motorcycle. He was in Unit before moving When the weather was having trouble Cloverdale, close to his destination, warms up, Trauma to a regular ward for breathing. when a truck swerved into him. The a couple of weeks. Service Nurse Practiaccident left Scott with a number Today, he still gets tioner Kathleen Fyvie of injuries, including several shatoccasional pains that says the ER can expect -Scott McGillivray tered ribs and a broken shoulder remind him of his an increase in motorblade. But it was a tear in the body’s cyclists with crash-related injuries. crash, but he’s working again and main artery that put his life most in She says regardless of who is at fault agrees he’s lucky to be alive. While danger. he’s still tempted to get back on a in a crash, the motorcyclist rarely “When I woke up, I was lying on the motorcycle, he’s taking his wife’s escapes unscathed. road on my right side, and I was advice and staying away from bikes. “We often see motorcyclists who having trouble breathing,’ remem“If my brother-in-law hadn’t taken have sustained multiple injuries, bers McGillivray. “I could hear voicme to Royal Columbian directly, I which can include brain injuries, es saying ‘Don’t move your neck.” would probably be dead,” he confacial injuries, spinal cord injuries, By coincidence, McGillivray’s rib fractures, collapsed lungs, inter- cludes.
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YOUR HEALTH MATTERS I ROYAL COLUMBIAN HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
