A brave surfer who narrowly escaped death after being bitten by a shark and losing his leg has undergone surgery and remains in a stable condition.
Kai McKenzie, 23, was attacked by a 3-metre great white shark at North Shore Beach in Port Macquarie on the central north coast of New South Wales at about 11am on Tuesday.
Mr McKenzie managed to make it back to shore while his amputated leg was found washed ashore and immediately placed on ice.
The 23-year-old was rushed to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle with severe blood loss before undergoing a mammoth operation on Wednesday.
His family has asked for privacy and it is unclear whether or not his leg has been reattached.
The development comes after shark attack trauma surgeon Randy Bindra revealed the difficulty of trying to reattach a severed limb.
“The first thing is to make sure that the patient can withstand a very long surgical procedure,” he said The Daily Telegraph.
‘We’re talking about at least six to eight hours, significant blood loss and multiple teams working together.’
Kai McKenzie, 23 (pictured), was attacked by what is believed to be a 3-metre great white shark at North Shore Beach in Port Macquarie on Tuesday morning.
Despite being in a critical condition, Mr McKenzie was described as “calm” and “able to speak” and was airlifted to major trauma centre John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.
Professor Bindra said the second factor is the condition of nerves and tendons and that moment is critical.
He said the condition of the bone and tissue is also crucial, as tissue begins to die rapidly once circulation to a limb is cut off.
“If there is bone and tissue loss, you will end up with one leg shorter than the other. We can’t allow that.”
Professor Bindra said McKenzie had already overcome the most difficult hurdle by surviving the first few hours after the attack and the initial blood loss.
He said McKenzie faces a long road to recovery: six to eight weeks if the limb is not reattached and at least a year if the surgery is successful.
Professor Bindra added that dealing with the mental aspect of such a traumatic injury is always more difficult than the physical aspect.
‘The trauma of a near-death experience can stay with you for a long time, as can the trauma of losing a limb.’
An off-duty police officer is credited with saving Mr McKenzie’s life after using his dog’s leash as a makeshift tourniquet to stop blood loss.
Mr McKenzie’s surfboard is pictured after the horrific shark attack at North Shore Beach in Port Macquarie on Tuesday morning.
Australia’s leading shark attack trauma surgeon, Gold Coast University Hospital orthopaedic surgery professor Randy Bindra (pictured), has revealed what it would involve to reattach Mr McKenzie’s leg.
Despite being in a critical condition, Mr McKenzie was described as “calm” and “able to speak” and was airlifted to the main trauma centre at Newcastle hospital.
His devastated loved ones rushed to his side and helped him. made the grim admission that Mr McKenzie faces a “long road to recovery” regardless of whether the limb can be reattached or not.
Mr McKenzieNeighbor Lauren Mac confirmed that the 23-year-old had undergone surgery, but did not clarify the nature of the operation.
“This is all the family wants released at this time,” he said.
EM Mac has created a GoFundMe following the attack that has so far raised more than $130,000 for the young surfer.
“Kai is currently at John Hunter Hospital where he underwent surgery and is in stable condition,” she wrote.
‘Please make an effort to help this family with Kai’s recovery and rehabilitation.’
Ms Mac said the prospect of losing his leg was a shocking blow for the young surfer who had just returned to the water after fracturing his neck.
“His mom and dad told me it will be a long road to recovery, regardless of the outcome.”
The surfing community has rallied around the young surfer, including his sponsor Rage, who shared an emotional post on Instagram on Wednesday.
“Sending love to Kai, the youngest RAGE guy on the team and the toughest person we know,” it read.
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