Shark Receives Successful Spinal Surgery From Ocean Springs Surgeon
Sharks may be the masters of their environment, but sometimes, even a creature resulting from millions of years of evolutionary perfection needs a little help.
When staff at the Mississippi Aquarium noticed one of their star attractions Stella the sand tiger shark was having trouble swimming, they stepped in to help. Initially pain medications were used but feeding, swimming were becoming harder for poor Stella. X-rays revealed a disruption in her spine.
“She was swimming abnormally and had a curvature to her spine," said veterinarian Dr. Alexa Delaune.
At that critical point, Delaune, vice president of veterinary medicine at the aquarium, worked with a team of specialists and decided to take drastic measures.
“So we thought let’s do something that’s never been done before. Let’s perform spinal surgery on her," Delaune said.
Determined to help Stella, the team had to think outside the box… and that’s where Bienville Orthopaedics came in. Known for its specialty surgeons and state-of-the-art care, their treatments are designed to get people back on their feet enjoying life again. So when the request came for help to correct Stella’s spine, they stepped up.
X-rays revealed a disruption in her spine. Feeding was also becoming an issue. Pain medications weren’t helping.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joseph Cox, known for liking to be the first; for trying new and innovative procedures with his human patients, decided to accept the challenge of trying to help Stella, another big first.
The medical team prepare Stella for surgery
“I knew it would be an extraordinary opportunity for me personally, and a way for me to give back to the community and to the Mississippi Aquarium," Cox said.
It took a lot of careful planning, because to their knowledge, a shark’s spine had never been operated on before anywhere in the world. Dr. Cox delved into learning about shark anatomy.
“It’s about as close to operating on an alien that you can get. Their physiology is way different from humans so there were a lot of things that had to be taken into consideration," Cox said.
There was also the dilemma of having Stella out of the water for surgery.
“You have to keep the surgical site dry, but you have to keep water on the gills so she can breathe. We had to build a special surgical table to meet her needs," Delaune said.
A team of about a dozen specialists, some from other regions of the country, worked on Stella for two hours.
“So we wanted to fix the spine from both sides with rigid construction to restore the integrity of the spine and give the shark something it could use to propel itself," Cox said.
Surgery appears to have gone to plan and the hope is to have Stella out of recovery in a few weeks and back in the Ocean’s Exhibit for everyone to enjoy again.
Good luck, Stella!
Words by Ross Williams
Interview quotes via WLOX
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