Shark Attack (Summarizing and Note-taking) Read the story on this website: http://www. sciencecases. org/shark/shark. asp Answer the following questions: 1. Identify at least five organ systems in this region of the arm that the surgeon would have marked for reattachment. Cardiovascular, Muscular, Skeletal, Nervous, and Integumentary 2. List the names of the specific structures that had to be reattached. The axillary arteries had to be reattached. Bicep and tricep muscle tissues and the humorous bone also had to be reattached. . What organ system was most likely not reattached? Explain. The nervous system, severed nerves cannot be reattached the same way; the severed nerves will not be useful again. 4. Why was a clean bite so important? The bite did not tear much tissue, making reattaching the arm possible. 5. Why was the bone shortened? In order to insert the plate, they needed to shorten the bone and even it out. 6. Identify the movements associated with the arm, forearm, wrist, and fingers.
Rotation and circumduction, extension, flexion, hyperextension, supination and proation. 7. Explain how the movements of the reattached arm might be altered after the reattachment. The nervous system reattachment grew back together decently, but the nerves did not function the same way. The boy will not be able to regain full use of his arm. 8. Define collateral circulation and identify the regions of collateral circulation that would be found in the upper extremity.
Collateral Circulation: Small arteries open to connect to larger arteries to different parts of the same artery. • Brachial • Axillary • Subuvian 9. Identify the specific vessels that provide the collateral circulation to the elbow. Brachial, then split at elbow to the radial and ulnar. 10. Identify specific types of activities that might cause Jim problems after recovery. Examples of some activities could be weight lifting, baseball, typing, etc. 11. Why would full use of his arm be unlikely?
There would be too much damage to the nervous and muscle system to regain use of the arm fully; the muscle and nervous system would not be able to send messages to the brain in order to control the arm. 12. Assume the role of the surgeons as they explain the procedure to Jim’s parents. Write a one- to two-paragraph explanation about the surgery, paying particular attention to what you would say about regaining use of his arm, forearm, and hand. The surgery being performed on your son consists of a few different procedures.
First, what we did was to identify the muscles, blood vessels and nerves in both the arm and the stump. Then Dr. Ramos will trim the wound, and insert the supporting plate. This is what is holding your son’s arm in place, and also made reattachment possible. Before we did this, he had to trim the bone, which will make the right arm one inch shorter then the left arm. With the supporting plate in place, we will then be able to reattach everything else. The only bad news is that unfortunately Jim will never regain entire use of his right arm.
Although all the vessels and muscles are connected properly the nervous system is too damaged to send messages to the brain. Because of this, recovering movement capabilities will be a slow process. Although with practice and physical therapy, Jim will slowly regain function and strength. 13. Assume the surgery to reconnect blood vessels was successful and blood flow was re-established immediately throughout the arm. Would the nerves of the arm recover as quickly and completely as the muscles? Explain why or why not.
Muscles do not connect well, but you can still get movement from them; nerves re-grow right over the damaged conditions, but never let you regain the full feeling of the reattached limb. Therefore the nerves will not recover as quickly as the muscles. 14. How might this situation have been different if Jim had been 80 instead of 8 years old? The bones would have not grown back together as well, if any; his systems would have been too fragile to recover. Jim is young, and growing, so he will be able to get stronger and heal more quickly. Source: National Center for Teaching Case Studies in Science
