Update 198: Jeannine Edwards has posted a comment after her afternoon at New Bolton Center covering Barbaro for ESPN. I copy it here in full (thanks Jeannine):
We spent the afternoon trying to get the latest info on Barbaro. I spoke with Michael Matz on the phone… he was just leaving New Bolton around 1:45pm. He said it was a long night Sat. night… Dr. Richardson later told me from start to finish the entire ordeal was about 15 hours. They both described Barbaro’s recovery this time around as “long and grueling”. Michael said they had put the longer, full cast on and that Barbaro wasn’t handling it too well. (Thus the decision to remove it earlier today.) For the first time in all of this, Barbaro had been in a sling… they were taking no chances. Michael said it’s been a long, trying week and that it was especially difficult for him to see Barbaro in pain, but that he was encouraged to see him feeling better and looking brighter today. After my conversation with Michael, Dr. Richardson came out for an inpromtu press “conference”, I say it that way because there only 3 or 4 of us there. He said Barbaro had exhibited changes in his condition, that he had a persistent fever, and that his comfort had diminished in both hind legs. His pastern joint is infected (not good) but the primary fractures (in the cannon bone and sesamoids) are healing well. They decided to remove the 16" plate and some of the screws because all of this hardware was infected. They put in 2 smaller plates and new screws, and did a new bone graft to aid in bone healing in the pastern… which didn’t have much bone left after the injury (many smaller fragments had been removed.) They finally were able to drain the abcess from his left hind foot, so that should make him more comfortable. Richardson called these “serious complications” and that it’s “definitely a setback”. As I said earlier, Michael confirmed to me that the Jacksons have postponed a trip to Africa. When asked if the subject of euthanasia had come up at all over the weekend, Richardson said “We’re nowhere close to that… we haven’t even contemplated that… not even close to calling it a day with Barbaro.” So that’s a good sign. He did tell me the timing of the complications was unusual, as they would have expected infection soon after the original surgery, not 6 weeks later. His condition is “guarded”, and he’s still at 50/50 for survival, although 2 weeks ago his chances were at least 60/40. It’s a day to day situation and he’s being monitored around the clock. We then did a live report for ESPN News at 4pm, then taped reports for tonight’s SportsCenters and tomorrow’s Wire To Wire. This coming Sunday we have a live show (the Delaware Handicap) so we will be including a Barbaro update then as well. Ok, it’s 8pm, time to grab a bite for dinner. Let’s all say a prayer and hope for the best.
Jeannine
Update 197: Just saw Jeannine Edward’s coverage on ESPN. She used some of the same footage we can see from the press conference noted in the CBS3 video below (Richardson press conference). She also spoke of Michael Matz and how hard is was for Michael to see Bobby in some pain again (I guess over the weekend) and that he was a little brighter today (Bobby, and I guess Michael!). My somewhat educated guess, Michael is there now, as he seems to be camping out there lately other than training hours in the morning. Jeannine also noted the Jackson’s decision to cancel their trip to Africa. I am hoping Jeannine will post a comment here later tonight noting her experience at New Bolton today.
Update 196: CBS3 has video footage of Dr. Richardson’s press conference today: Dr. Dean Richardson Updates Barbaro’s Condition (thanks Skyler)
Update 195: NBC10s coverage today: Barbaro Chances 50 - 50 (thanks Cheryl) If anyone wondered whether we cared for Barbaro, check the stats on this site today 5,190 visits by 6:06 pm
Update 194: Saw the NBC10 coverage, if you get a chance to see it at 6pm, it’s well worth it. It includes footage of Bobby, and commentary from Dean Richardson. He is quoted “He is feeling reasonably good right now”. Dr. Richardson noted they had 6 weeks with no problems, then multiple problems in one week. He noted Bobby remains 50 - 50, and clearly it’s a day to day situation. The piece was about two - three minutes and ran early in the newscast.
No recent update from Mike Rea, I assume that is not a bad sign, lets hope for an update soon!
Update 193: NBC10, for those in the local area are covering Barbaro today (thanks Danielle) along with Jeannine Edwards and ESPN:
For those in the NJ, MD, DE area, the local nbc10 news station will be airing the same footage as espn did at 5pm ( it was on at 4 as well) along with some other interviews of horse lovers.
ESPN article: Doctor: ‘Tough days ahead’ for Barbaro (thanks Lynda) copied in full:
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was facing major problems for the first time since surgery to repair the right hind leg he shattered in the Preakness seven weeks ago, with Dr. Dean Richardson saying “we’re in tough times right now.”
Barbaro had the cast on the leg replaced for a sixth time Monday – the fourth time in a week. The latest development followed many hours of surgery Saturday night when doctors replaced the metal plate and many screws and also treated an infection.
“I think we’re in for tough times right now. I think we’re going to have some tough days ahead,” Richardson said at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. “I’m being realistic about it. When a horse has a setback like this, it’s a problem.”
Richardson, the chief surgeon at the New Bolton Center, looked haggard during the briefing, and said it took more than 15 hours from the start of Saturday’s surgery before Barbaro had fully recovered from anesthesia.
He said Barbaro was back in his stall in the intensive care unit, where he’s been since the catastrophic injury occurred just a few hundred yards after the start of the Preakness.
“Right now, he’s happier,” Richardson said. “He’s got a normal heart rate, normal temperature, he’s eating like crazy. He’s very hungry. He’s making lots of manure. He looks actually pretty happy today. Now we have to see how he responds to what’s going on.”
The long cast applied Saturday night was replaced by a shorter cast Monday, and was done with Barbaro in a sling and under mild sedation, Richardson said.
“The long cast was used as extra support during the anesthetic recovery phase,” Richardson said. “It is much easier for him to move around his stall and get up and down with a short cast. We also found and treated an abscess in his left hind foot that was bothering him.”
Barbaro is receiving pain medication, antibiotics and other supportive care, Richardson added.
