A leading emergency doctor believes that the CPR and excellent hospital care received by the critically injured Australian batsman Phillip Hughes has increased his chances of recovery.
Hughes, who was hit on the head by a bouncer at the SCG, has been admitted in the St Vincent Hospital, where he was kept in an induced coma before undergoing surgery.
Anthony Cross, who heads the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, said that Hughes was fortunate to be given CPR on the stretcher as he came off the field. Since he received good care and treatment immediately, he has the best possible chance of recovery, he added.
He also said that Hughes' treatment would involve doing further scans and monitoring for swelling in the brain. Cross, who has not been involved in treating Hughes, further said that hitting a ball that travels at a speed of around 145km/h at the back of the head could inflict incredible damage, News.com.au reported.
Doctors would have made sure there was no further bleeding as the hit was bound to have caused internal bleeding and stopped it if that was the case, he added.