Zach Miller’s to be released from hospital Monday after doctors save leg from horrific knee injury

Doctors in New Orleans fought to save the left leg of Bears tight end Zach Miller, who suffered a horrific dislocation attempting to catch a touchdown on in Week 8. On Sunday, ESPN reported that he was expected to be released from the hospital on Monday.

The injury was far more significant than initially expected, and vascular surgeons worked into the night trying to prevent loss of the limb, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

The Bears released their first official update on Oct. 30:

Miller was still chapped about not getting his touchdown:

Miller caught a pass in the end zone when his leg buckled and bent sideways. Initially it was believed he broke his leg, but the injury was later diagnosed as a dislocation. Typically these injuries aren’t as severe; however Miller’s injury was so pronounced it caused severe vascular damage in his leg, including to an artery — which doctors attempted to rebuild with tissue from his other leg.

Knee dislocations are typically fairly uncommon but can happen as a result of low-velocity trauma in cases like Miller’s. Vascular damage as a result of a knee dislocation also is uncommon — and damage to popliteal arteries even more uncommon, with one case report noting that injuries to these arteries are reported in 35-45 percent of dislocations with vascular damage.

Miller’s injury was a subset, within a subset, within a subset. That is why the severity of the injury is so much worse than what people typically associate with a dislocation.

There have not been updates on Miller’s condition since the surgery; however even a successful operation may not put Miller out of the woods. Surgeons will continue to monitor his leg to ensure the grafts are working, and further surgeries could be required to fix the damage.