Damien Perquis underwent surgery this afternoon on the double fracture of the jaw produced in yesterday's match against Malaga at the Fremap Clinic by maxillofacial surgeon, Fernando Manso. The Franco-Polish player suffered a head injury in a fortuitous collision with striker Fabrice Olinga, which resulted in a concussion and loss of consciousness, which is why he was taken immediately to the Carlos Haya Hospital in Málaga.

Following surgery, the surgeon Fernando Manso and Dr. Tomás Calero attended to the press to clarify details of the operation: "It was an important blow because the force caused unusual fractures of the left mandible body and the right ascending ramus. This has a significant repercussions, on any other bone it would not be so important, but it has repercussions for any kind of dental occlusion. The result should have pinpoint accuracy. We were happy with the result, the double fracture has been reduced, we have performed an intermaxillary block. After reducing the fracture with some plates and screws so that the jaw is firm, we subsequently performed an elastic intermaxillary block. This fracture can only occur as a consequence of very specific forces. The jaw bone is hollow having the form of a horseshoe, it is easy to displace if there is a heavy blow".

Duration of the injury: "I hope that in a week we can remove the elastic intermaxillary block in order to maintain the dental occlusion in its correct position. A bone takes six weeks to set. As we have reduced the fracture with plates and screws, he can return to normal life a little earlier. His food will have to be blended, and very soft foods. There should not be any adverse consequences and in six weeks time it should be back to normal. We'll see how it is in a month, but he can return to normal sporting activity after a month and a half".

Intervention protocol: "The initial casualty intervention was very important because the potential consequences were unknown. These fractures often have no adverse consequences and do not usually require immediate treatment, but are deferred to specialists".

Pain: "Yesterday he was in a lot of plain, and today as well, maybe tomorrow too. Once the fracture has been stabilised it does not usually hurt, it is easily tolerated. I expect him to be at home in 2-3 days time".

Worrying at the time: "There was significant trauma. When his team mates and the referee asked the bench for emergency medical assistance you know that you are going to be faced with something serious. It is the most severe concussion I have seen, even after all these years. He did not respond to any kind of stimulus. Once he was stabilized and began to breathe, he had to be removed immediately to complete a suitable observation period and thus avoid any adverse consequences. With the help of Dr. Juan Carlos Perez Frias, from Malaga's medical services, we decided to put him in an intensive care ambulance and take him to hospital".

Leaving the pitch: "An emergency of this type is not pleasant, or to see a player in such an extreme situation. We did not know exactly where he had been hit. We were extremely worried for an hour until the scan determined that there was no brain injury. He did not regain a reasonable level of consciousness for at least 30 minutes. We were worried that there could be negative consequences. The scanner results put our minds at ease and a double jaw fracture was detected. It is a serious injury but it is relatively unimportant compared to what it could have been".

Should he wear protection?: "He will not need protection. He should keep his mouth closed for the next 50 days. Diet and exercise are going to be complicated tasks. He will only be able to exercise in accordance with his energy intake. We will have to carefully regulate his workload and food intake. We shall try to ensure he loses no more than 4 kilos. Hopefully he will not have to start from scratch when he returns to work".

Finally, Tomas Calero wanted "to thank the medical services of Malaga Football Club and the observation unit at Carlos Haya Hospital who treated us excellently".