Ezra Swartzentruber is recovering from serious injuries he suffered after being hit by a car.
Ezra Swartzentruber, an 11-year-old from Wooster, is making a tremendous recovery following serious injuries he sustained after being struck by a car in early February.
His recovery is a testament to the outstanding and collaborative care he received at Akron Children’s, including care from our trauma service in emergency medicine, orthopedics, neurosurgery, anesthesiology and Ear, Nose and Throat Center.
The accident occurred following a basketball game at the College of Wooster. Ezra was in a crosswalk with his father and siblings when the driver of the car failed to yield, hitting the sixth grader.
“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare,” said Dr. Julie Wei, division director of ear, nose and throat at Akron Children’s.
Ezra suffered numerous injuries, including fractures of his pelvis, leg and collarbone. Pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Pat Riley, Jr. repaired his broken hip and leg and Ezra was admitted to Akron Children’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
“Ezra also had a concussion and a fractured skull, specifically a horizontal temporal bone fracture that caused a significant leak of cerebrospinal fluid from his right ear,” Dr. Wei said. “Horizontal temporal bone fractures are relatively uncommon, resulting in immediate deafness and facial paralysis. Losing cerebrospinal fluid is also very dangerous because it increases the risk for meningitis.”
Dr. Dan Choo repaired a complex skull fracture that caused facial paralysis and permanent hearing loss in Ezra’s right ear.
Determining the best plan of care
As the ear, nose and throat physician on-call, Dr. Samuel Albert provided the initial consult on Ezra’s condition to determine the best next steps. He also consulted with Dr. Daniel Choo, a neuro-otolaryngologist and director of Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Choo sees patients at Akron Children’s every week through a collaborative arrangement between the two children’s hospitals.
“Dr. Choo is renowned in complex neuro-otology procedures, including those involving the cranial nerves and middle ear. He was here and immediately saw Ezra,” said Dr. Wei.
After Dr. Choo spoke to the Swartzentrubers, a plan was put into action to coordinate all of the services Ezra needed. Because time was of the essence, the surgery would take place on the upcoming Saturday.
Members of Akron Children’s perioperative leadership team ensured a second OR would be ready for Ezra, in addition to the one available for trauma coverage on the weekends. This leadership team includes Dr. Mark Wulkan, chair, Department of Surgery; Dr. Todd Ritzman, chair, Department of Orthopedics; Dr. Tarun Bhalla, chair, Anesthesia and Pain Medicine; Dr. Greg Benson, medical director, Outpatient Surgery and Jennifer Davis, director of nursing surgical administration.
A hearing test was scheduled for Ezra. Pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Gwyneth Hughes was contacted to place a lumbar drain to clear away some of the cerebrospinal fluid. Surgical Services staff volunteered to come in to support Dr. Choo in performing this complex procedure, which involved filling the fracture in the temporal bone with bone wax, as well as fat grafted from Ezra’s abdomen to stop the leak in his ear canal and prevent the risk of infection.
Dr. Wei is proud of the way everyone pulled together to ensure Ezra received the best care possible, treating him as if he was their own child.
Although he still has a long road to recovery, Ezra is looking forward to getting out of his cast and being able to walk again.
“Seeing how everyone came together on the day of surgery, understanding the impact we are making in the life of a single child made me most proud. In real-time, we saw two different hospital systems come together for this one patient,” Dr. Wei said. “This is the future of what’s to come from our collaborative, as we grow our multidisciplinary programs for complex ear, nose and throat conditions, with the expertise to keep kids close to home.”
These efforts were not lost on Ezra’s parents, Karl and Joanna, who are grateful for the care their son has received.
“This is our hospital of choice, and we come to Akron Children’s for all of our kids’ health care needs,” Karl said.
Joanna noted this included a stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit when Ezra was born.
“Everyone has been amazing. We know there was a lot of coordination to provide that level of care to Ezra, yet everyone has been so humble. Their focus is on the kids,” Karl added.
The road to recovery
As Ezra continues to recover, he still has a long road ahead. Once he’s out of the cast, he’ll need physical therapy. Although the hearing loss in his right ear is permanent, he’ll be fitted with a hearing aid that will transmit sounds from the right side to his left ear, but his brain will recognize the sound as coming from his right. Coincidentally, Ezra’s best friend has hearing aids, so he’s already more familiar with them than a typical 11-year-old. His facial paralysis is showing signs of improvement and Dr. Choo is hopeful it will resolve over the next few months.
Ezra (seated in front) is big brother to Jude and Thea.
For now, Ezra and his parents are taking one day at a time, celebrating each positive step in his recovery. Ezra is most looking forward to being out of the cast and able to walk again, and no longer having daily injections to prevent any complications from blood clots.
He’s glad to be back home with his younger brother and sister, Jude and Thea. He’s also looking forward to going back to school. His favorite subject is science, and he wants to be a marine biologist when he grows up.
Joanna noted Ezra’s determination, confident her son will not let his injuries hold him back from achieving anything he sets out to do.
