New Technique Opens Door for Miracle for Buffalo Bills Football Player

In 1985 in an insignificant game between the Citadel and East Tennessee State University, Citadel linebacker Marc Buoniconti had his spinal cord crushed. With paralysis immediate from his neck down, Buoniconti and his father, NFL All-Pro and Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti became the champions of people with spinal cord injuries, founding The Miami Project. The foundation's drive is to help people who have suffered spinal cord injuries to walk again. At the same time, they are also focused on adaptability, helping those injured to live as productive a life as possible.

Since that fall day in 1985, the Buoniconti's have raised over $200 million for research on spinal cord injuries. Marc Buoniconti's goal is to walk again one day and his dad is doing everything in his power to make that happen. Since the Miami Project was founded on the campus of the University of Miami, tremendous strides have been made. That is a testament to the impact of the Buoniconti's vision as well as having one of the nation's premiere neurosurgeons, Dr. Barth Green on board. With its focus on paralysis and spinal cord injuries, Dr. Green and his team's expertise was called upon on Sunday when Buffalo Bills linebacker, Kevin Everett had his neck injured in the same way and break as Marc Buoniconti's was twenty-two years ago.

While initial reports made Everett's ability to walk again at slim to none because of the severity of the injury it was a technique perfected by the Miami Project that may have opened the door for a miracle for Kevin Everett and the Buffalo Bills family. Dr. Andrew Cappuccino, the Bills' orthopedic surgeon thought the chances almost scientifically impossible. However, on Tuesday, Cappuccino was singing a different tune after Everett began to move his arms and legs voluntarily. This miracle can be attributed to a technique perfected by the Miami Project. After careful research and testing, Dr. Green's team found out that those that suffered spinal cord injuries faced far less daunting futures if an ice-cold saline drip was run through the victim's system placing them in a hypothermic state. In effect, the hypothermia decreased the damage to the spinal cord area due to swelling and movement.

While this has been tested in the research environment at the Miami Project to Dr. Green's knowledge it was the first time a doctor had been at the scene of an accident and been able to administer the drip with such immediacy. This paved the way for Everett's miracle to take place. While a somewhat new technique, it is growing in popularity. In addition to spinal cord injuries, doctors have been using induced hypothermia as a method of decreasing the impact of cardiac arrest as well as for quickened stroke recovery. In effect, doctors slowly decrease the body's temperature to around thirty-three degrees. At that point the body slows the body's metabolism and energy consumption, decreasing the body's actions in the aftermath of a traumatic situation.

Dr. Green's studies on this combated studies done in the 60s and 70s with information and studies performed on the most effective methods of treatments now known. Studies have been difficult to perform because of the limited number of cases involved and the time between traumatic incident and injection have been measurably different. But in the case of Kevin Everett with Dr. Cappuccino on the field within seconds because he was attending the game the fact that Everett received the ice-cold saline drip proves at least in this case that induced hypothermia had a dramatic impact.

It also did not hurt that Everett attended the University of Miami and Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson is a major donor to the university and was able to talk to Dr. Green almost immediately after Everett fell to the ground face first. While no one is questioning the integrity of the event it certainly must be understood that quick actions and the relationship between Wilson and the university may have the most significant decision made by following Dr. Green's advice and running the ice-cold saline solution in Everett while on the field.

Kevin Everett may have played his last game but one day soon, he may walk again and given the alternatives I am sure he and the Buffalo Bills would choose retirement from the game as opposed to retirement from walking.