Lotto-Soudal have provided an update on the condition of Kris Boeckmans following his bad crash in the Vuelta at the weekend.
The team had announced yesterday that the Belgian didn’t suffer any brain injuries and that they expected him to wake within 24 to 48 hours. However, they have now stated that he has been placed in an induced coma again.
The team’s statement is as follows:
By reducing the sedative medication the doctors tried to take Kris Boeckmans out of the induced coma. The lung injuries (pneumothorax, laceration of the lung, bleeding of the lung and swollen pulmonary tissue) made it too difficult for Kris to sufficiently breathe independently, so he was placed in an induced coma again, this will certainly remain the case for the next seven days.
Nonetheless, the situation is stable. These injuries are the consequence of the impact on the chest. At the moment the swollen pulmonary tissue prevents an intake of oxygen via the alveoli. This swelling has to disappear slowly in a natural way. The bleeding in the lungs is kept under control by a drain which was already introduced in the thorax earlier.
The family of Kris wants to thank everybody for the many messages of support of the previous days.
