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Butler, Pennsylvania It's been nearly a week since gunfire erupted at a rally for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, injuring the former president, killing one attendee, Cory Cory Compatore, and seriously injuring two others.
And while the pictures we've seen of Trump after the assassination attempt are of him less injured and now in high spirits, what we've been told by the campaign doesn't give us much insight into the former president's condition. What kind of care he received or how the medical team will monitor him in the coming days and weeks.
A full public assessment of Trump's injuries is essential, both for the former president's health and for transparency to voters about the recovery of the man who could become president of the United States again. The concern is that a gunshot blast near the head can cause injuries that aren't immediately apparent, such as bleeding in or on the brain, inner ear damage, or even psychological damage. As a trauma neurosurgeon, I have seen how a thorough evaluation after any gunshot wound can provide a complete picture and lead to faster recovery.
first Official communication It came about 40 minutes into the campaign about Trump's health. Trump said he is “fine” and “being looked at at a local medical facility.” He added that more details would follow.
Two hours later, Trump himself posted an article Social truthHe wrote: “The bullet was fired and pierced the top of my right ear. I heard a screeching sound, a gunshot, and I immediately felt the bullet hit his skin, so I knew something was wrong.”
in The conversation At the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, Trump described the timing of the shooting but did not shed new light on the circumstances or the care he received. Beyond that, most of what we know about the damage is based on what we've seen in pictures and videos and secondhand accounts.
A source familiar with the matter told on Sunday that Trump underwent several “routine” tests at the hospital, including a CT scan that came back normal.
repeatedly reached out to the Trump campaign and Butler Memorial Hospital for more information, but did not receive additional information about his condition or care. contacted the Trump campaign for comment again Thursday.
In the moments after Saturday's gunshots, we saw Trump raise his right hand to his ear and to the side of his face. It didn't fall, but it seemed to fall to the ground of its own accord.
Surrounded by the US Secret Service, he stood up a minute later and was able to walk and speak with his right arm raised. “Fight!” We saw him rousing the audience. When he puts his hand in the air. From a medical point of view, these are all very good signs and although there is blood on his face, it is evidence that he was not seriously injured.
U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, Trump's former White House physician, said in an interview Monday on the “Benny Show” podcast that he “checked” the wound on Trump's ear and bandaged it himself. He added that it was far enough away from Trump's head that “there was no confounding effect from the bullet.”
“When he passed, he just cut the top part of the ear off the ear,” Jackson said. “He was bleeding like crazy.”
Trump was taken to nearby Butler Memorial Hospital. Dr. David Rottinghaus, an emergency room physician there, said the hospital had been in contact with the Secret Service before Saturday's rally. Rottinghaus, who treated Trump himself and has not commented on Trump's treatment or condition, said he came to the hospital shortly after the shooting to identify patients.
“We prepare for events like this. We've done advanced tours for rallies in the past when Mr. Trump was here. The last one was late 2020. We've worked with the Secret Service and local and federal law enforcement in the past to plan if an event like this happens,” Rottinghaus told .
Those plans include renaming beds in the ER when needed, having clinical teams on standby to treat patients on the spot for minor medical issues, and keeping the hospital from being overwhelmed if there's a problem.
When the unthinkable happened, Butler Memorial said it only took minutes to put the plan into action, closing the hospital and diverting patients to other health care facilities.
While we're told Trump underwent CT scans and other routine tests, it's not clear when those scans were done, who read the scans, or whether his brain was specifically examined.
In an interview Monday, Jackson said Trump's injury “wears.” He will be fine. … It seeps in and heals, and doesn't need anything done to it.
In an interview with CBS News on Wednesday, Eric Trump said his father had “no stitches, but definitely a good gash.”
And Trump was walking around the RNC in Milwaukee this week, talking in speeches with bandages on his ears and smiling.
All this points to a good prognosis. But it's surprising that we still don't hear more about proper diagnosis and care for catastrophic injuries. And although all the attention is on the ear and the right side of the head, this does not mean that other injuries may not be found. It is not even clear whether the primary hit came from the gun, a secondary projectile, or a combination of the two. Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine without a thorough evaluation.
We know the shooter used an AR-15 type weapon, and in my experience in the operating room, I have seen the damage this weapon can cause. Its kinetic energy is significant: it can produce as much as a rifle like an AR-15. 1,300 foot-pounds of force. If that much force is applied to the head, there can be more injuries than meets the eye.
For example, fractures to the thin bones in that area of the skull, epidural hematoma (or bleeding between the skull and the brain), and damage to the bones of the inner ear can cause hearing loss, dizziness, or vertigo.
A CT scan can usually detect such injuries, but they are not always visible immediately. For this reason, sometimes patients are observed in the hospital and may even undergo repeated CT scans.
The stress of being shot can also have a psychological effect.
“With the chaos that follows a shooting, these psychological effects are not always apparent,” said Dr. Kenji Inaba, a trauma surgeon at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. “It can come later, and that's something we always have to be aware of.”
The good news is that most of the symptoms of the injury will probably manifest themselves within the last few days. At this time, however, it has not been shared whether the Trump campaign was fully operational at the time, or if there has been any follow-up since then.
Presidents and presidential candidates are not required to share their medical histories with the public, but voters say they are concerned about the health of their leaders this election. More information helps everyone make better decisions.
Rottinghaus, a Butler Memorial physician, told that after preparing for the unthinkable, “the unexpected happened” Saturday. Still, the hospital considered it a successful day: the staff confused the former president's arrival with the care of their other patients. He said that what made it work was communication, clear planning and preparation to take action.
In an intense political season for the country, such cooperation and communication can be a lesson for candidates as well.
's Nadia Kunang, Deid McPhillips, Maya Davis and Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.