Arlander Rutherford was standing in line for a football game when he was struck by a stray bullet, causing serious injuries to his stomach and leg.
It is thanks to the expertise available at Regional One Health’s Elvis Presley Trauma Center that he is alive and that he was able to avoid amputation.
Dr. Erica Mitchell, a renowned vascular surgeon, provided complex care that gave Arlander a second chance at a healthy, active life – and he’s taking full advantage by getting back to the people and things he loves.
No one ever expects an ordinary day to turn traumatic, but that’s exactly what happened to Arlander Rutherford.
One minute he was heading into a football game with friends; the next he was on his way to Regional One Health’s Elvis Presley Trauma Center, where he would spend four months and endure over two dozen surgeries.
But Arlander is here to tell the story thanks to lifesaving care led by Erica Mitchell, MD, EdM, FACS, DFSVS, DABS, a renowned vascular surgeon and medical director for Regional One Health’s vascular surgery service.
In September 2022, Arlander was living in Nashville, where had graduated from college and started his career. He traveled to Memphis to visit friends, and they were heading into a football game when gunshots rang out.
Arlander was struck in the stomach. The bullet shattered on impact, and the resulting fragments severed an artery in his leg.
Despite the shock, Arlander never panicked. “It may sound crazy, but it was actually a very peaceful moment. There was a man who talked to me and rubbed my chest to keep me conscious, and I was having an inner conversation with myself, asking God if this was my time to go,” he said. “After a while everything kind of faded to darkness.”
Arlander was rushed to the Elvis Presley Trauma Center, the region’s level 1 trauma center, where a multidisciplinary team is available 24/7 to treat critically injured patients from all over the Mid-South. With onsite blood bank resources and board-certified academic physicians in critical care, vascular surgery, orthopedics, anesthesia and more, the trauma center is verified by the American College of Surgeons and has an amazing track record of helping 97 percent of its patients survive their extremely critical injuries.
Arlander is one of them.
When he arrived at the trauma center, his condition was dire. “Later they told me I coded a couple times on the way to the hospital. The doctors talked to my mom and told her I might not make it,” he said.
The injury had severed one of his iliac arteries, major blood vessels that extend from where the aorta divides at the bellybutton. Without prompt care, patients are at risk of death or limb loss due to severe bleeding.
At the trauma center, surgeons performed an emergency repair to save Arlander’s life, but determined he was still at risk of infection and bleeding. He would need a long-term solution to not only save his life but protect his quality of life.
“Initially, they thought they might have to amputate my leg, or I would need a colostomy bag for the rest of my life,” Arlander said. “They worked their magic so that didn’t happen. They did everything they could to make sure I was OK and could get back to normal.”
That magic is due to Regional One Health’s unique level of expertise. The hospital has a team of five board-certified academic vascular surgeons who can provide specialized care that decreases amputation rates and improves survival rates.
“In essence, our job was to reconstruct the vascular anatomy in a way that would provide a long-term solution and also prevent limb loss and allow him to have a normal life with both legs,” Dr. Mitchell said. “We had to get very creative.”
In an intricate and complex surgery, they used part of Arlander’s femoral vein to rebuild his damaged iliac artery. While Arlander would still need follow-up procedures and months of intensive care, the surgery was a game-changer.
“Avoiding amputation is crucial, especially in a young patient, because amputation can have a profound impact on quality of life as it relates to work and relationships,” Dr. Mitchell said. “It can even affect a patient’s ability to get married and have children. It can certainly make it more difficult to drive or work or travel.”
“In terms of quality of life, avoiding amputation is tremendous for patients.”
Along with the care that healed his body, Arlander found plenty of emotional support from his Regional One Health team.
Spending four months in the hospital is never easy, and doing it far from home in an unfamiliar environment is even more challenging. Arlander’s mom traveled to Memphis to stay by his side, and his medical team made sure they had the support they needed.
“After a while even going into surgery I felt like I was becoming a pro,” Arlander said. “They always assured me they would take care of me, and I gained trust that they would. I knew I was in good hands.”
After four grueling months, Arlander was finally healthy enough to leave the hospital.
These days, he continues to work on getting stronger and is getting back to the things he enjoys: “All in all, I feel pretty good about where I am right now. I can’t do everything I used to do, but I love to travel, and one of the things I’ve been able to get back to is traveling.”
Arlander, who has been to Japan, Europe, and South America, wants return to Japan and hopes to visit Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Canada.
He continues to see Dr. Mitchell for monitoring.
“We follow patients for life, which is unique,” Dr. Mitchell said. “Unlike other surgeons, we put things in people rather than take things out – we need to make sure the reconstruction lasts a lifetime. We monitor bypass grafts and reconstructions closely, and if they need revisions down the road, we can do that before it becomes something that isn’t fixable.”
It allows her to develop a genuine bond with patients like Arlander.
“We continue to see him year after year, and it’s amazing to see the progress he’s made and how he’s thriving and been able to get back to life,” Dr. Mitchell said. “We’re lucky to see that. It’s wonderful that we get to experience that.”
As for Arlander, he’ll always be grateful for the chance to get back to the things that matter most. “I absolutely loved the care I received,” he said. “It was excellent. I don’t remember everyone’s name, but their faces are faces I’ll never forget.”