Two days after a serious motorcycle accident, Matthieu Kassovitz would have come out of the artificial coma in which he was plunged, after several operations. How is the treatment of a polytraumatized patient carried out? The explanations of Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician.
Big fright for the relatives of Matthieu Kassovitz. The 56-year-old filmmaker was the victim of a serious motorcycle accident at the Linas-Monthléry racetrack, where he had come to take refresher courses. Ejected from his machine, he was violently thrown to the ground and would suffer multiple fractures in the leg but also in the pelvis.
With several fractures, the actor placed “in an artificial coma”
Quickly taken care of by the emergency services and urgently transferred to the Kremlin-Bicêtre hospital, Matthieu Kassovitz was plunged into an artificial coma.
If the vital prognosis is not engaged, the functional prognosis takes precedence
“In the case of polytraumatized without vital prognosis – that is to say that no vital organ such as the brain, the heart or the lungs is affected – as seems to be the case here, we focus on the functional prognosis “ says Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of TipsForWomens.
An artificial coma to control pain and take stock of lesions
“The Samu intervenes immediately and quickly intubates the patient to put him in an artificial coma, which is in fact a general anesthesia. He is then watched in a kind of recovery room, a “trauma center”. The artificial coma makes it possible to control the pain, to transport it and to proceed more easily to the assessment of the lesions by scanner” explains Dr. Kierzek again.
Be very vigilant about the risk of internal bleeding
“If the vital prognosis is not immediately committed, it is still necessary to be wary of lesions to the pelvis which occur in this type of accident with high kinetics, and which can lead to serious internal bleeding. A gesture of embolization, carried out by an interventional radiologist, may then be necessary“says our expert.
Surgical operations then coming out of the coma and rehabilitation
Once the lesion assessment has been made, the patient must be operated on if necessary and will then be released from the coma. “You have to fix the lesions, determine if the fracture(s) require an external fixator, for example… All of this comes under traumatology and orthopedics” according to Dr. Kierzek.
After coming out of the coma, comes the recovery and rehabilitation phase, which can last several weeks or even months.
The importance of motorcycle protective gear
When riding a motorcycle, it is essential to wear protective clothing and high shoes. “There are clothes that do not tear, which resist burns during falls. The jackets are also equipped with elbow pads, and reinforcements at the back, in particular” insists the doctor.
“High boots will protect the ankles in the event of an accident… It is essential to bet on good protection each time you travel on two wheels, because falling does not prevent” he concludes.