Again with the Stingrays!
James Bertakis is an 81 year old man with a small boat. On Thursday, a stingray jumped into the boat and spiked Bertakis as he was trying to remove it. Matthew Borghese covers the story for All Headline News.Just like in the case of Steve Irwin, this stingray got its victim in the heart. Bertakis, however, is still alive.
Do you think Irwin could have survived? Answer in comments.
This case illustrates the importance of correctly managing impaled objects. Removing a stingray spike - or any other impaled object - promotes bleeding. Surgical removal is required in order to control bleeding. The victim has to be delivered to the surgeon with the impaled object still in place. Bertakis made it to the hospital with the spike still in his chest.
Reports of Irwin's encounter with a stingray say that he pulled the barb out after he was stung. Officials say the video shot of Irwin at that time show him losing consciousness after removing the barb. There is a chance that if he'd left the barb in, he may have survived.
We don't really know how often this happens. Bertakis isn't a world-famous celebrity and he is still alive. I doubt we'd have heard about this incident if Irwin hadn't been killed by a stingray so recently. At least it draws attention to the need to be prepared and correctly manage emergencies. Good luck to Bertakis and his family.
Photo © Mike Johnston via flickr
Comments
I think it Steve Irwin had not removed the stingray barb from his heart the surgeons could’ve had a good chance of removing it and saving his life. Removing an impaled object from the body is something you should never do for it promotes and encourages bleeding. I believe that if Steve Irwin had not removed the barb, he’d still be here today making a full recovery as if nothing had ever happened.